The man who took Suzuki Motor Corporation to new heights and saw it through difficult times, Osamu Suzuki died on Christmas Day.

He was 94 and it is believed that lymphoma claimed him. 

He began his career in banking after graduating from Tokyo’s Chou University’s Law School.

Joining Suzuki in 1958, he married founder Michio Suzuki’s granddaughter Shoko.

It is customary in Japan when marrying into a top well-to-do family to take that family’s name.

Over close to 50 years, he rose to become first the CEO then chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation.

Suzuki had its beginnings in making motorcycles. Osamu Suzuki turned to making compact affordable cars which were hits in developing countries.

The Suzuki Vitara sold by Stewart Motors has been a popular seller in Jamaica for many years and is renowned for its reliability and affordable running cost.

Suzuki is a big deal in India with the decision to partner with Maruti Udyog in 1982 being instrumental in the Japanese carmaker’s fortunes.

Maruti Suzuki became the largest car maker in the world’s second most populous country. It has a market cap of US$47 billion, twice that of its parent company. It now has about 40 per cent of India’s car market.

Osamu Suzuki’s management style focused on efficiency and keeping costs down. He regularly flew in economy class and kept a close eye on the pennies. He developed vehicles for specific demographic groups underpinned by paying attention to economic factors.

He did not look to compete with the big traditional car makers in established markets but chose to stay in his lane taking market share in developing countries where people need affordable cars.

Today we hear about a troubled Nissan looking to merge with Honda. Osamu Suzuki valued independence. In 2009 Volkswagen took a significant stake in Suzuki but in 2011, the Japanese company bought back Volkswagen’s  20 per cent share citing the German car maker’s interference and controlling nature.

Osamu saw this as a blessing and to once again focus on its core strength of remaining lean and focused.

“Making good quality and low price products is the basis of manufacturing. We cannot lower costs while sitting in the offices of the President or Chairperson, so I have to be in the factory to understand the work and get ideas, he once said.

He stepped down as the head of Suzuki in 2015 when he was 85 and handed the reins of the company to his son Toshihino. Osamu Suzuki was the longest-serving head of a global car company.

At 91 he decided to hold an advisory role at Suzuki after leading it for close to five decades

What was his leadership philosophy? 

In his memoir, ‘I’m a Small-Business Boss‘ he wrote, “ If I were to listen to everybody it would make things too slow. Never stop or else you lose.”

Today Suzuki sells 3.05 million vehicles globally and raked in US$35 billion in fiscal year 2023, a 16 per cent increase year-over-year.