Osamu Suzuki, former Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation and former Director and Honorary Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, has been posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. The award, India's second-highest civilian honour, was presented at a formal ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
The Padma Vibhushan was awarded in recognition of Suzuki’s outstanding contribution to trade and industry, particularly for his pivotal role in making car ownership accessible to India's middle class and for helping establish India as a significant player in global automobile production. Under his leadership, Maruti Suzuki grew from a modest 1 lakh unit annual production capacity in 1983 to achieving a cumulative production of 30 million vehicles and an annual output of 2 million units by 2024. Exports, which began in the 1980s, have now crossed 3 million units, with Maruti Suzuki accounting for approximately 43 percent of India's passenger vehicle exports.
In a statement, Toshihiro Suzuki expressed deep gratitude to the Government of India and reflected on his father’s lasting affection for India, which he considered his second home. He emphasised that the award belongs not just to Suzuki, but to all the employees, partners, and supporters of Suzuki and Maruti Suzuki who contributed to this shared journey. He reaffirmed that Team Suzuki remains committed to advancing Suzuki’s vision by continuing to offer inclusive and sustainable mobility solutions.
Osamu Suzuki’s journey began after graduating from Chuo University in 1953 and joining Suzuki Motor Corporation in 1958. Over the decades, he helped shape the company into a global automotive leader. His philosophy of accessible mobility transformed Maruti Suzuki into a household name in India and laid the foundation for a robust automobile and auto-component ecosystem. His contributions were previously recognised with several prestigious honours, including the Padma Bhushan in 2007 and the Order of the Rising Sun in Japan in 2000.
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