Leader Of Suzuki Motors, Osamu Suzuki Has Passes Away At The Age Of 95

Osamu Suzuki, the longtime leader of Suzuki Motor Company who transformed the Japanese mini-car maker into a global player with a huge dominance in the Indian car market, died at 95.

Osamu Suzuki reportedly led the company for more than 40 years, serving as president, chairman, and CEO of the company, and retired from the board of directors in June 2021 when he was 90 years old, Kyodo news agency reports.

Under his leadership, the company focused on producing minicars in Japan and compact cars in emerging economies such as India and Southeast Asian countries, as well as in Hungary. This strategy was significantly different from other Japanese automakers, which primarily wanted to strengthen their presence in the American and Chinese markets, but it brought very good results, according to Tanjug.

According to the Japan External Trade Organization, the company’s subsidiary Suzuki controlled 41.7 percent of the car market in India in fiscal 2023, while second-place South Korean rival Hyundai had to settle for a much more modest 14.6 percent.

When Suzuki took over the company in 1978, its sales revenue was around 300 billion yen, or approximately 1.82 billion euros, and in fiscal 2006 it was even ten times higher and exceeded three trillion yen for the first time.

Osamu Suzuki handed over the position of company president to his son Toshihiro in 2015, who thus continued the family tradition in the automotive industry.

• Read More: Suzuki Launches First-Ever Electric Vehicle In The eVitara