The Suzuki chairman over five decades and currently senior advisor to Suzuki Motor Corporation honoured as the current ‘Father of The Motoring Hall of Fame House'.
21 Dec 2023 | 5046 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
In the lead-up to his 94th birthday in January, Osamu Suzuki, senior advisor to Suzuki Motor Corporation, has been inducted into one of the world’s most elite car-related clubs – The Motoring Hall of Fame (MHOF).
He is one of only 39 high-achieving VIPs from across the globe to have been inducted into The ...
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In the lead-up to his 94th birthday in January, Osamu Suzuki, senior advisor to Suzuki Motor Corporation, has been inducted into one of the world’s most elite car-related clubs – The Motoring Hall of Fame (MHOF).
He is one of only 39 high-achieving VIPs from across the globe to have been inducted into The MHOF since 2010. Additionally, Mr Suzuki’s seniority and impressively long track record as Suzuki chairman over five decades means he has the honour of being the current ‘Father of The Motoring Hall of Fame House' – a title that was previously awarded to Sir Stirling Moss OBE who passed away in 2020.
Mr Suzuki is one of only 39 high-achieving VIPs from across the globe to have been inducted into The Motoring Hall of Fame since 2010.
Established in 2010, The Motoring Hall of Fame is currently partnered by Newspress and The British Motor Show. Its inductees are men and women considered by The MHOF's highly experienced judges to be among the most outstanding, committed, talented and inspirational people in and around the global auto industry, associated businesses and charitable organisations.
“Osamu Suzuki is, without doubt, one of our most deserving inductees ever,” said The Motoring Hall of Fame’s international judging panel at the time of his appointment. "And his latest ‘Father of the MHOF House’ role is the icing on the cake for him… and us.
“We are talking here about a great and highly dignified auto industry leader who successfully served as CEO of Suzuki’s global empire for almost half a century. A track record like this is unprecedented at the top end of the fiercely competitive global auto industry.
“By identifying and sticking with the need to design and build small, credible, affordable, but high-quality two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive cars for real-world customers across the globe, this wise old 'Hall of Famer' showed a vision that many bosses at rival firms lacked.
“For example, the modest, now almost legendary Suzuki Jimny he launched in 2018 proved to be hugely desirable and won numerous car of the year awards. More recently, he paved the way for every car in the Suzuki range in Britain and elsewhere to feature hybrid tech as standard from 2023 – the year when hybrids officially took over from pure-petrol models as the most wanted cars in UK showrooms.
“As part of his new role as the company’s supreme advisor, he has ensured that the first 100 per cent-electric Suzukis will come to market in 2025, with several more arriving from 2026 onwards, as demand for pure-EVs steadily grows."
Mr Suzuki and his India connect is well known. He has played a huge role in establishing Maruti Udyog way back in the 1980s, which has since grown by leaps and bounds over the years as Maruti Suzuki India and continues to be the market leader with a share of over 40 percent in passenger vehicles and 25 percent in utility vehicles.