Osamu Suzuki, pioneer of the Japanese car market in India, dies at 94

Osamu Suzuki, pioneer of the Japanese car market in India, dies at 94

Osamu Suzuki, a brilliant saving fox that led Suzuki motor for over four decades and played a crucial role in developing India into a blooming car market, died at the age of 94. On December 25, 2023, he succumbed to a lymphoma, as the company announced. Under his leadership, the company developed from a focus on mini vehicles to a significant force in the automotive industry.

The way to the automotive

The cost-effective, square 660 cc vehicles that were specially developed for the Japanese market benefited from generous tax benefits, but were also associated with a strict cost reduction, which became an essential part of the corporate DNA. Suzuki's legend as a Sparm master is widespread; For example, he had the halls lowered in the factories to save energy costs and traveled even at an advanced age at Economy Class.

entrepreneurial skill and tireless use

When asked how long he would stay with the company, he often gave humorous answers such as "to the end" or "until the day I die". Born as Osamu Matsuda, he accepted his wife's last name through adoption, a common practice among Japanese families without male heirs. In 1958 he joined the company that his father -in -law had founded and worked his way up to the president within two decades.

savior in the need

In the 1970s, Suzuki saved the company from bankruptcy by convincing Toyota motor to deliver engines that corresponded to the new emission regulations - engines that Suzuki engine has not yet developed. The success began with the market launch of the Alto Mini -Vehne in 1979, which became a huge success and strengthened Suzuki's power of negotiation when the company received a partnership with General Motors in 1981.

The vision for India

A risky step was Suzuki's decision to invest the company's entire annual profits in order to build a national automobile manufacturer in India. His personal interest was based on the strong desire to "be number one somewhere in the world", as he later reminded. At that time, India was an automotive market with low sales of less than 40,000 vehicles per year, mainly British replicas.

The Indian government had just nationalized Maruti, which was launched in 1971 as a project by Sanjay Gandhi, the son of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to produce an affordable “Volks car” in India. Maruti needed a foreign partner, but initial discussions with Renault failed, since the model considered was considered too expensive and not sufficient fuel efficient for the domestic market.

The successful breakthrough

After the Maruti representatives were rejected by many brands such as Fiat and Subaru, accidentally came to contact with Suzuki motor. A director of Suzuki Motor in India discovered a newspaper article about a possible cooperation with the Japanese small car manufacturer Daihatsu. He then contacted the headquarters in Japan and received the news that the Maruti team had been rejected. Suzuki sent a fax to Maruti and hastily invited the team to Japan to offer a second chance. A letter of intent was signed within a few months.

The first car, the Maruti 800, based on the Alto, was introduced in 1983 and immediately developed into success. Today, Maruti Suzuki, who is mostly owned by Suzuki Motor, is one of the leading companies on the Indian automotive market and holds about 40 % market share. In a class society India, Suzuki also brought changes by demanding equality at the workplace and introducing open offices, a common canteen as well as uniform work clothes for managers and workers.

The challenges