Vikram Lal Biography
Vikram Lal, born on 5 March 1942, studied mechanical engineering in Darmstadt, Germany, and joined his father's Eicher business in 1966. He took it into trucks, stepped back after a 1985 heart bypass and handed control to professionals in 1997 13.
Vikram Lal's early life
Vikram Lal was born on 5 March 1942, according to Forbes 1. His father, Man Mohan Lal, was building a farm machinery business: he opened the Goodearth tractor dealership in 1948 and, in 1959, set up India's first tractor-making venture with Germany's Eicher 13.
Education
Lal went to Germany for university and studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt 3.
Running Eicher
He joined the family's Eicher business in 1966 3. Over the next two decades the group widened from tractors into commercial vehicles, starting with light trucks in 1986 and later heavier models 3.
Stepping back
A heart bypass in 1985 led Lal to reduce his day-to-day role 3. It also shaped his view that the companies should be run by professionals, and in 1997 he gave up all executive posts and passed control to hired managers 3. Business Standard profiled the move at the time as an unusual choice for an Indian family owner 3.
The next generation
His son Siddhartha became CEO of Eicher Motors in 2006 and was named executive chairman in 2025 13. Under him Royal Enfield grew into a global motorcycle brand, lifting the family into the billionaire ranks 1.