Osamu Suzuki, who was the chairman of the Suzuki concert for more than 40 years, died in Tokyo at the age of 94, world agencies reported. They added that Japan has been one of the most influential figures in the global automotive industry for several decades.
Citing a statement from the Japanese company, Reuters reports that the cause of Suzuki's death on Wednesday was lymphoma. The agency reminds the contributions of the president of the “Suzuki” concern both to the main company and to the development of the Indian automobile industry; In Japan, Osamu Suzuki was called the “minivan pioneer”.
Osamu Suzuki is dead
Born Osamu Matsuda on January 30, 1930, he adopted the Suzuki surname from his wife, a common practice among Japanese families without male heirs. He was a banker by profession; in the late 1950s, he married Shoko Suzuki, the granddaughter of company founder Michio Suzuki. He joined the concern in 1958 and became its president in 1978.
In 1979, he introduced the Alto minicar, which became a hit. In the first half of the 1980s, Suzuki invested the entire year's profits in the development of the Indian automobile industry, and the first result of this investment was the Maruti 800 model, which was a success.
Suzuki company
Currently, Maruti Suzuki, whose major shareholder is Suzuki Motor, controls about 40%. Indian car market. The 2009 deal with Volkswagen, which ended in a trial at the International Court of Arbitration, has been cited as a setback in more than 40 years of Osamu Suzuki's stewardship.
In 2016, Suzuki began to strengthen cooperation with Toyota, which in 2019 gained 5 percent. shares of the company he manages. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda said of the deceased: “To me, he was more than a business leader: he was like a father.”
Suzuki was called a “generous miser” for his low-cost ideas; among others, he ordered that the ceiling of the Suzuki factories be lowered to save on air conditioning. He himself was frugal – it is said that even in his old age he bought economy class tickets when flying by plane.
When asked about his secret to longevity and good health, Osamu Suzuki mentioned golf and work first.
Main photo source: PAP
