President of India, Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Vibhushan on Osamu Suzuki, former chairman, Suzuki Motor Corporation and former director and honorary chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, posthumously. The formal conferment ceremony took place at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on 28th April 2025.
This was in recognition of his contribution in the field of trade and industry. Toshihiro Suzuki, representative director and president, Suzuki Motor Corporation, accepted the award on behalf of his father.
Suzuki said, “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 added, “This award goes not only to my father, but also to all the people who have worked at Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki and all our business partners, who have supported us in this journey. My father must be feeling very proud today. I am also feeling extremely proud to receive this award. All the employees at Suzuki and Maruti Suzuki and our business partners must be feeling proud of this recognition. This award also expresses thanks to the `love of Indian people towards Suzuki’. This award belongs to all of you.”
He further added, “We, at Team Suzuki, will carry forward the commitment of Osamu Suzuki with the same passion to bring inclusive and sustainable mobility solutions that will be loved by the people of India.”
Starting with 1 lakh unit annual capacity in 1983, under the leadership of 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, stated the company in a statement. Furthermore, automobile exports from India, which commenced in the 1980s, surpassed 3 million units cumulatively. Today, Maruti Suzuki contributes to around 43 percent of total passenger vehicle exports from India.
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