Osamu Suzuki, a resourceful individual who managed Suzuki Motor 7269.T in Japan for more than 40 years and played a crucial role in transforming India into a flourishing auto market, departed at the age of 94.
He passed away on Christmas Day from lymphoma, according to the company, which he led with ambition while serving as chairman or CEO, out of its main market of small cars.
Despite the generous tax breaks for the cheap, boxy, 660-cc Japanese cars, the company’s DNA ingrained strict cost control.
Despite his advanced age, Suzuki was known for his frugal behavior, which included flying economy class on airplanes and ordering factory ceilings lowered to save on air conditioning.
When asked how long he would stay at the company, he would respond with his trademark humorous responses, “Forever,” or “until the day I die,” which he held onto tightly into his 70s and 80s.
As is typical of Japanese families without a male heir, Suzuki, who was born Osamu Matsuda, adopted his wife’s family name.
The former banker began working for her grandfather’s business in 1958 and rose through the ranks to become president twenty years later.
By persuading Toyota Motor 7203.T to supply engines that complied with new emissions regulations—which Suzuki Motor had not yet developed—he prevented the company from going bankrupt in the 1970s.
The 1979 introduction of the Alto minicar, a huge hit that increased the automaker’s bargaining power when it partnered with General Motors GM.N in 1981, brought about even more success.
