Osamu Suzuki, former Suzuki Motor Corp chairman, who pioneered its success in India, dies at 94

Osamu Suzuki, the former charismatic leader of Suzuki Motor Corp. who transformed the Japanese car manufacturer into a global powerhouse with dominant success in India’s car market, passed away on December 25. He was 94.  

Suzuki led the company for over 40 years, holding various roles such as president, chairman, and CEO from 1978 until stepping down in June 2021 at the age of 91. He passed away from malignant lymphoma and is survived by his wife and three children. 

Under his leadership, Suzuki’s consolidated sales grew dramatically from approximately 300 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in 1978, when he became president, to over 3 trillion yen in fiscal 2006, a 10-fold increase. 

Suzuki’s early years were marked by humble beginnings. While studying law at Chuo University in Tokyo, he worked as a junior high school teacher and night guard to support himself. After graduating in 1953, he worked at a bank before his marriage to enter the Suzuki family business. 

Born on January 30, 1930, in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Suzuki joined the company in 1958 after marrying into the founding family. When he became president in 1978, he was determined to transform Suzuki from its origins as Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. (founded in 1920) into one of Japan’s leading carmakers, with its headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan. 

While other Japanese automakers focused on entering the US and Chinese markets, Suzuki concentrated on producing mini vehicles in Japan and small cars for emerging markets like India, Southeast Asia, and Hungary. His focus on affordable, small vehicles cemented Suzuki's leadership in the Indian market, a position it continues to hold today. 

Suzuki’s leadership style was marked by decisiveness and an unwavering commitment to progress. “If I were to listen to everybody, it would make things too slow,” he wrote in his 2009 memoir, I’m a Small-Business Boss. “Never stop, or else you lose.” His approach made him the longest-serving leader of a global automaker, with over 28 years as president in two terms. 

Even after stepping down as president in 2000, Suzuki remained heavily involved in the company, serving as chairman and CEO. During the global financial crisis of 2008, he returned as president at age 78 to address the company’s first profit decline in eight years. 

In 2019, Suzuki led the formation of a capital alliance with Toyota Motor Corp. to co-develop self-driving vehicles in response to the auto industry's transformation driven by connected, autonomous, shared, and electric mobility technologies. Upon retiring, he expressed satisfaction with the company’s direction and assured stakeholders that he would remain available for advice. “I’m full of life,” he said.