Govt. of India confers Former Suzuki Motor Chief, Osamu Suzuki with Padma Vibhushan

Suzuki’s former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Late Osamu Suzuki, was awarded India’s second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan. The award was conferred by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in a solemn ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on April 28.

Osamu Suzuki passed away in December last year at the age of 94. Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, accepted the award on behalf of his late father.

Accepting the award on behalf of his late father, Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, expressed heartfelt gratitude. “My sincere gratitude to the Honourable President of India and the Government of India for awarding the prestigious Padma Vibhushan to my father, Osamu Suzuki, former Chairman, Suzuki Motor Corporation. I have just received this high-level award on his behalf, and I am deeply honoured. I believe he is, from heaven, looking back fondly on the 45 years he spent with India, his second home,” he said. Toshihiro Suzuki further acknowledged the role of every employee and business partner in this journey: “This award belongs not just to my father, but to everyone at Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki, and our partners who made this journey possible. It also reflects the love of the Indian people towards Suzuki.”

Starting with 1 lakh unit annual capacity in 1983, under the leadership of Mr. Osamu Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki achieved significant milestones, including reaching a cumulative automobile production of 30 million units and an annual production of 2 million units in 2024. Furthermore, automobile exports from India, which commenced in the 1980s, surpassed 3 million units cumulatively. Today, Maruti Suzuki contributes to around 43% of total passenger vehicle exports from India.