Sandeep Singh (Toyota) & Moloy Chowdhury (HM CEO) resign

This week has seen top level resignations from two automotive brands in India. Sandeep Singh, who was the deputy MD - marketing for Toyota Kirloskar Motors, had earlier joined the Japanese automaker's Asia Pacific office in Bangkok. He was the executive managing coordinator for engineering and manufacturing.

He has now left Toyota, and is expected to join a construction machinery firm in India, possibly Tata-Hitachi. Singh played a key role in the promotion of models like the Qualis, Innova and Etios series. Singh's background in the automotive industry is quite extensive, and includes stints with the DCM Group for an LCV venture, the Kirloskar group for MPVs and cars, Mahindra's tractor division and JCB.

The other resignation comes from Hindustan Motors, as CEO - Moloy Chowdhury has resigned from his post at the company. Hindustan Motors stopped production of the iconic Ambassador at its plant in Uttarpara, West Bengal. The Ambassador had been in production at the plant since 1957, and the suspension of its production had an impact on around 2,500 factory employees. Hindustan Motors managed to sell just over 2,200 units of the car in 2013-14. A far cry from the 24,000 units it sold annually in the 1980s.

The company announced that it was looking for investors to revive the loss making plant, but there has been no significant development on that front.

Via ET Auto: 1, 2