Osamu Suzuki, force behind iconic Japanese carmaker, dies at 94
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Former CEO and chairman led Suzuki Motor through decades of innovation and helped transform India’s car market. Osamu Suzuki, the legendary businessman who turned Suzuki Motor Corporation into a global force, has died at the age of 94. The company announced his death on Christmas Day, attributing it to lymphoma.
![[Osamu Suzuki, left, with CEO of Fiat Auto SPA Giancarlo Boschetti]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/10/0fbff901aea64e1f9368007fcab20093.jpg)
Suzuki, who led the company for over four decades, was known for his frugality and ambition. He famously drove the company’s expansion beyond its initial focus on inexpensive 660cc minivehicles, originally designed for the Japanese market and benefiting from generous tax breaks.
![[Osama Suzuki, right, and vice president Osamu Honda pose with a Suzuki X Lander hybrid concept car]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/10/210c92a118ac4aac90f2093aee787f78.jpg)
His leadership philosophy was rooted in cutting costs wherever possible, including ordering factory ceilings to be lowered to cut air-conditioning expenses and flying economy class even in his later years. "Forever” or "until the day I die" were Suzuki’s signature humorous replies when questioned about his tenure at Suzuki, which he tightly controlled well into his 70s and 80s.
![[Osamu Suzuki receives a traditional welcome during his visit to the proposed site for a Maruti Suzuki India Ltd manufacturing facility at Hansalpur near Mehsana in Gujarat, India, on 25 August 2012]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/27/10/92d468e229554307841c4c93453db4ae.jpg)
Born Osamu Matsuda, Suzuki adopted his wife’s family name, a common practice in Japan when a male heir is absent. After joining Suzuki Motor Corporation in 1958, he worked his way up the ranks, becoming its head two decades later. His most significant early contribution was rescuing Suzuki Motor in the 1970s when he brokered a deal with Toyota for engines that would meet new emissions standards. Suzuki’s boldness continued to pay off as he oversaw the launch of the Alto minivehicle in 1979, a success that led to Suzuki’s partnership with General Motors in 1981.
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