A company statement says that Vikram S. Kirloskar, who was the vice chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd, died on Tuesday. He was 64 years old.
His death was not explained in the statement, but early reports said he had a massive heart attack.
In a short statement, Toyota India said, “We are very sad to tell you that Vikram S. Kirloskar, vice chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, passed away too soon on November 29, 2022. During this sad time, we ask everyone to pray for his soul to rest in peace. We want his family and friends to know how sorry we are.”
On Wednesday at 1 p.m., the funeral will be held at the Hebbal Crematorium in Bengaluru.
Kirloskar was a key part of the partnership between Toyota and India. His LinkedIn profile describes him as a “Passionate Engineer,” which is how he is known in the business world. He was also the one who got the industry of making cars started in Karnataka. The state government gave him the “Suvarna Karnataka” award because of this.
In the 1980s, Kirloskar was on the government’s Development Council for Machine Tools and helped get import licences for capital equipment. He was also the head of the Central Manufacturing Institute in Bangalore. He was president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers from 2013 to 2015.
He was the president of the Confederation of Indian Industry from 2019 to 2020. He went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his first degree.
He was also given the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) JRD Tata Award 2020 for his excellent corporate leadership in the metallurgical industries.
He also did a lot to help fight climate change. Under his direction, Toyota Kirloskar set a goal for India to be carbon neutral by 2035. On November 25, Kirloskar showed off Innova Hycross, a hybrid version of the Toyota Innova. This was just a few days before he died.
On November 28, he sent out a tweet: “Climate change must be stopped. It is a crucial strategic need that all businesses must meet at all costs.”
His wife, Geetanjali Kirloskar, and daughter, Manasi Kirloskar, will carry on after him.