Former Suzuki Motor Corporation chairman Osamu Suzuki has passed away at the age of 94. He was suffering from a disease called lymphoma. Osamu was born on January 30, 1930 in Gero, Japan. A banker by profession, Osamu married Shoko Suzuki, daughter of the Suzuki family, in 1958 and took her (wife’s) surname. He also joined Suzuki in the same year. Osamu is credited with the expansion of Suzuki worldwide. Due to his efforts, Suzuki’s small cars and motorcycles got a distinct identity worldwide. Osamu remained associated with the company for several decades. He became the company’s chairman twice. He is the person who has held this position for the longest time. Under his guidance, Suzuki Motor entered into a strategic partnership with General Motors and Volkswagen. Entering the Indian market in the 1980s is considered his boldest step. In 1982, Maruti formed a joint venture with the Government of India. In 1982, Suzuki formed a joint venture with the Government of India, which led to the formation of Maruti Udyog. This partnership introduced a small car called Maruti 800. This model became a hit in the Indian market right from its launch and gave Suzuki a strong position. At an ex-showroom price of Rs 47,500, the company enabled a large section of the country to buy a car. Maruti Suzuki has sold about 3 crore vehicles in the country in the last 40 years. Maruti Suzuki has been India’s largest car manufacturer for the past several years. Suzuki’s tenure was full of challenges when his name was linked to the fuel-economy testing scandal and he had to resign. He had to face the fuel-economy testing scandal in Japan. Due to this case, he had to resign from the post of CEO of the company in 2016. Even after retirement, Suzuki used his experience in the company and played the role of an advisor. Suzuki sells the most vehicles in the Indian automobile market. In the current financial year i.e. between April to November, 1.8 crore vehicles were sold across the country. There was an increase of 11% on an annual basis. In November 2024, the total sale of vehicles in the country was more than 32 lakh. As compared to November last year, there has been a growth of 11.21% in this. At the same time, Maruti Suzuki topped the passenger vehicle segment with a 39.92% share by selling 1,28,521 cars. The company sold the most vehicles in the country in the last financial year. In the financial year 2024, a total of 2 crore 45 lakh 30 thousand 334 vehicles were sold across the country. This is 10.29% more than the previous financial year (2022-23). In FY23, 2 crore 22 lakh 41 thousand 361 vehicles were sold. Maruti Suzuki has sold the maximum number of vehicles, 16 lakh 5 thousand 264. In the last financial year 2023, the company sold 14 lakh 90 thousand 202 vehicles. Hyundai Motor is at second place in this list with sales of 5 lakh 61 thousand 371 vehicles. In the last financial year, Hyundai sold 5 lakh 27 thousand 481 vehicles.
