GM stands fifth in terms of sales in India but its football-loving chief is convinced Chevrolet is now at a tipping point.
He seems to have fallen from a higher floor of a hotel in Bangkok.
Jaguar Land Rover will continue to be managed independently.
Slym doesn't face such an epic challenge - after all, his company is profitable, has a trustworthy brand, deep pockets and a vast distribution.
The late leader transformed the company and his work will be reflected in time to come.
Tata Motors MD sudden death shows it is time companies asked themselves 'What would we do if we lost our CEO tomorrow?'
Karl Slym was affable, gregarious and always motivated. Even in moments of crisis, Slym's sense of humour remained intact.
The note mentioned "domestic problems".
A company spokesperson said VRS is and will be offered to 'white-collar workers only'. Tata Motors employs around 30,000 people.
Tata Motors Managing Director Karl Slym tweeted that it's a backward step.
Sally Slym told police they had fought so much that night that she could not talk to her husband any more.
Karl Slym, managing director of India's Tata Motors Ltd, died after falling from a hotel room in Bangkok in what police said on Monday could be possible suicide.
There are many things we can do with the Nano. It is a canvas, says Managing Director Karl Slym.
Tata Motors will launch a diesel-powered version of its ultra-cheap Nano by the end of March 2014, its managing director said, hoping to kick-start demand for the model after years of disappointing sales.
Also said that the slowing demand for Tata's Nano shows consumers aren't looking for low-cost cars.
Mahindra and Mahindra pushed the company to No. 4 position in the list of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturer few months back.
Talking to reporters after the launch of 'SMARTECH' engine, General Motors India president and managing director Karl Slym said diesel version of the vechile was also be out later this year.
Till now, the company was selling the Beat in petrol and liquefied petroleum gas variants.
General Motors India is looking to enhance its range of diesel-driven cars as demand for the variant increases due to the price difference with petrol.
Operating in India for the last 14 years, automobile major GM India is eyeing the premium car segment with the possible launch of Cadillac in the years to come, a top company official said.
While emerging markets have traditionally been recipients of the older cast-offs from the developed markets, in India it is completely different.
American car maker General Motors on Thursday said it has shelved plans to launch small car in India that was planned to take on Tata Motors' 'Nano', citing viability issues.
To deliver on strategy that late Slym was executing.
The components would cater to GM facilities worldwide, said Karl Slym, president and managing director, GM India.
The LPG model was launched a fortnight ago. Chevrolet is now hoping to rev up the car's sales with a diesel option in June.
General Motors India had completed all investments intended for the country well before its parent's bankruptcy filing, said Karl Slym, president & MD.
Karl Slym, president and managing director of General Motors India Private Limited, said the company would launch Chevrolet Cruze, its new offering in the Chevrolet Spark segment, by third quarter of its financial year ended December 2009. Slym added, "The car will be priced similar to Chevrolet Spark. As far as the minicar is concerned, we are not competing with Tata Motors' Nano, which is a different segment."
General Motors India would roll out its BS IV version of Sports Utility vehicle Tavera in the country by next year, a top company official said on Tuesday
In a chat with Sohini Das, GM India president and managing director Karl Slym says, with the launch of the new compact car, Beat, and a positive response to the Cruze, GM plans to cross the 100,000-unit mark this year in sales.
"We have so far invested $1 billion in India and there is no question of puting a cap on it", Karl Slym, president and managing director of India operations, told reporters in Bangalore after unveiling the SUV Chevrolet Captiva Automatic, a premium Sports Utility Vehicle and small car Spark Muzic Special Edition.
"We probably could have sold another 20-30 per cent if there was an easy availability of vehicle finance. People continue to be interested in buying cars, but the sheer lack of finance is a concern.The buyer has to decide what his money can get him. I don't feel threatened that a customer of Chevrolet is going to buy the Nano instead," says Karl Slym, president and MD, General Motors India.
GM India has last week announced plans for launching four new models in the Indian markets in 2010. "The new mini-car will be in the market by January next year and we will produce more than 40,000 units in the first year. Of this, we will export 20 per cent overseas, including to the European and the Asia-Pacific markets," GM India president and managing director Karl Slym told reporters on the sidelines of the SIAM annual convention in New Delhi.
How President and Managing Director Karl Slym is steering General Motors India after its US parent filed for bankruptcy.
The mini car is likely to be based on the auto maker's Beat concept, showcased at the New York Auto Show two years ago. It would offer the option of diesel or petrol engines and will be the third small car in GM's offering in the country after Spark and Aveo U-VA. India would be the company's export hub for the mini car, said Karl Slym, president and managing director, General Motors India.
GM India presently sources engines for its products from its other global plants. Apart from multi-utility vehicle Tavera, which is 97 per cent localised, the company's other products run on sourced engines. The company is in talks with more than one state governments to set up the proposed plant, but has not zeroed down on one particular location as yet.
Guenter Butschek will start his new job by Feb. 15
Slym, 51, died after falling from a high floor of the hotel in Yannawa district, Bangkok.
Tata Motors hasn't announced the prices of the new vehicles yet. This is the first time that the company has introduced such a large number of new vehicles on a single day.
The company's wholly-owned subsidiary PT Tata Motors Distribusi Indonesia has introduced Tata Aria, Tata Vista and Tata Safari Storme in the Indonesian market.
Kant, an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, was managing director of the company before being promoted as vice-chairman five years ago.
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