Suzuki’s charismatic former boss, who helped transform the Japanese compact vehicle specialist into a globally competitive enterprise, has died aged 94 after a battle with deadly lymphoma, the company said on Friday.
Osamu Suzuki became CEO of the company in 1978 and served as either chief executive, chairman or president until 2021, when – already in his 90s – he stepped down and took on an advisory role.
His tenure at the top began with some important milestones in Suzuki’s expansion beyond the Japanese car market, such as the launch of the small city car Alto in 1979, which became Suzuki’s longest-running and most popular car to date. Became a best selling car. ,
Furthermore, while other Japanese manufacturers looked to markets such as Europe, the US, and later China for expansion, Osamu Suzuki’s first major international foray was into India. In 1980 his company decided to partner with the Government of India and its struggling Maruti company.
The move was risky but the partnership worked. Suzuki sells about a third of all its cars in India, making India the company’s most important market outside Japan.
The company consistently ranked among the top 10 sellers of motorcycles worldwide during most of Osamu Suzuki’s tenure, and was also a major player in motorcycle racing in Japan and beyond.
Suzuki – from looms to compact cars
The company was founded in 1909 by patriarch Michio Suzuki. It initially specialized in the manufacture of looms, a design specialty of engineer Suzuki.
In the 1930s, Michio Suzuki was looking to diversify the company, and identified personal transportation, specifically motorized bicycles or motorbikes, as a promising opportunity for expansion.
However, during World War II the government of Japan prohibited the company from investing in “non-essential civilian production” and so its plans were shelved.
Immediately after the war, with its loom business threatened by automation and other advances, Suzuki quickly returned to its transportation blueprint.
The first product for war-ravaged Japan was almost a precursor to the e-bike: a simple bicycle fitted with a small, 1 brake horsepower, two-stroke petrol engine for extra thrust – the Suzuki Power Free.
Michio was also ahead of his time with his first car, the Suzulite, which anticipated Japan’s demand for super-compact “kei” cars, which were designed for use in large cities where there was ample on-street parking space. Wasn’t.
Who was Osamu Suzuki, the adopted heir who walked away?
Born Osamu Matsuda in 1930, Suzuki worked in banking after graduating from Chuo University School of Law in Tokyo.
He joined Suzuki Motor in 1958 as a result of his marriage to Shoko Suzuki, the patriarch’s grandson. This was a year after Michio stepped down as president and joined the advisory board.
Michio had no sons in the family empire and so Osamu took the Suzuki name and began rising up the ranks in the company.
During the intervening years, three other adopted sons served at the helm of Suzuki, but none enjoyed as much success or longevity as Osamu after taking over in 1978.
Known for his cheerful disposition and candid observations, he did not shy away from the company’s focus on the smaller, budget end of the car market.
He also regularly acknowledged that Suzuki was lagging behind Japanese giants such as Honda and Toyota in terms of sales – once calling himself “the old man of a small to medium-sized company”.
msh/dj (AP, dpa)