마힌드라의 고엥카 사장이 보는 쌍용차의 미래는 밝았다.

"그러니까 투자하는 거다. 당분간 우리에게 출구전략은 없다." 마힌드라의 자동차부문 사장이자 쌍용차 이사회 의장인 파완 고엔카가 코리아 헤럴드에 밝혔다.

고엔카 사장은 현재 쌍용차 이사회를 위해 방한중이며, 오늘 쌍용차측에 3자 배당 방식을 통해 800억원을 투자한다고 발표했다. 또, 2014년 만기인 954억원의 채권 만기를 2015년까지 연장하기로 했다.

고엔카 사장은 800억원이라는 자금이 소송 등 과거 문제에 사용되어서는 안 되며, 미래제품 개발과 설비투자에만 사용되어야한다고 못을 박았다.

최근의 무급휴직자 전원 재고용도 회사 입장에서는 비용이라고 주장하며, 향후에 쌍용차가 흑자전환을 해야만 더 많은 투자가 이루어질 수 있다고 말했다.

이유일 대표도, 마힌드라 투자 이전에 벌어진 사항에 대한 정치권과 노동계의 압박은 옳지 않다며, "그런 불필요한 논쟁은 안 했으면 하는게 마힌드라 측의 생각,"이라고 밝혔다.

(코리아헤럴드 김지현 기자)

<관련 영문 기사>

Mahindra has no exit strategy for Ssangyong: Goenka

By Kim Ji-hyun

Mahindra & Mahindra, the majority shareholder of Ssangyong Motor, on Thursday approved a plan for investing 80 billion won into the nation’s smallest carmaker.

This will mean for this year at least, Ssangyong will have some 170 billion won worth of capital to work on the development of new models and facility investment.

“We see a bright future in Ssangyong,” Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra’s automotive & farm equipment sectors, told The Korea Herald. “We have no exit strategy for the company,” he added, stressing that Mahindra was in the for the long term.

The approved announcement was to help Ssangyong to meet its future requirements, such as for developing new products and facility investment, Goenka said.

The 80 billion won would be supplied by Ssangyong issuing around 14.5 million new shares through third-party allotment, with Mahindra being the third party. The issuing price will be 5,500 won per share, with listing due on June 7 this year.

However, Mahindra was quite firm that the fresh capital be used only for future expenses, and not to cover previous mishaps, including litigations involving lawsuits filed by outside labor unions, which are calling for a parliamentary audit to investigate why Ssangyong was forced to lay off so many employees in the past.

Goenka also said 80 billion won was as much as the Indian company could commit to for this year, despite claims from Ssangyong that it needed at least 200-300 billion won to produce a single new car.

“But we have plans of our own,” said Lee Yoo-il, president of Ssangyong. “We’ll be selling more cars and we can take out loans because we currently have no loans outstanding.”.

Another 95 billion won was earlier injected into Ssangyong via corporate bond issuance.

Originally, Mahindra had said it would be investing some 1 trillion won over the next four years into the automaker.

Ssangyong said the plans are still valid, stressing that the investment could be in the form of indirect support, such as guarantees to help the company secure loans.

Ssangyong was placed in court receivership in 2009. That year, the unionists of the company went on strike, after which almost 1,000 Ssangyong employees were laid off. The following year, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in the company.

Ssangyong has now promised to reinstate about half of those who were dismissed, as part of a prior agreement.

(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)