Suzuki Motor chairman to retire in June after over 40 years

The 91-year-old

It’s probably time...

The 91-year-old

It’s probably time...

Ya think?

He could not be fired. And will continue as an advisor

osamu Suzuki has really done an amazing job.

He has made an international company and the company has made many functionally excellent cars at cheap prices.

My next vehicle will be a Suzuki

Step down already!!

I don't know about their cars, but Suzuki makes some damn good motorcycles. Otsukaresama, and I hope the company will keep on doing well

Thank you for the cool cars & bikes! I hope Suzuki continues to experience success.

The 91-year-old, who married into the firm's founding family.

So, he is 'Matsuo San'? (Sazae San). I thought Suzuki is his own surname.

The 91-year-old, who married into the firm's founding family.

So, he is 'Matsuo San'? (Sazae San). I thought Suzuki is his own surname.

Yes, he's a Masuo-san type entering his wife's house. More interestingly, his father- in law (Shunzo Suzuki, 2nd chairman of Suzuki Motor Co) is also a Masuo-san entering the Suzuki house. Suzuki has developed through a matrimonial linage.

30 years too late. Sad.

Why do you say that? He hasn't run the company into the ground. Quite the opposite he built Suzuki into a very successful company by dint of making great products people wanted to buy. He is responsible for such well regarded and innovative motorcycles like the Hayabusa, the GSX-R series and the V-Strom. Why would the company want him to retire and lose those 30 years of his product leadership? Where would they be without him this past 30 years? Are you saying just because someone is old in years they are ipso-facto, incapable of leading a large corporation successfully? Does being old mean you automatically and necessarily lose a vision of the future? I would say his success leading Suzuki is the counter to your argument.

Japan is really big on diversity of leadership

Desert Tortoise

The question is, did the company spend enough time lining up a decent successor? Time will tell.

Rival Daihatsu was the one initially supposed to partner with the Indian government to come up with a people's car. No other company wanted to invest in an industrial backwater, but Suzuki saw an opportunity and convinced India to partner with Suzuki instead of Daihatsu.

Today Suzuki sells more than a million cars in India every year, has captured more than 50% of the market in a few segments and it was the first automaker to crack the code of fuel efficient low cost cars in India which Hyundai later built upon. Credit goes one way or the other to his leadership.

He DID groom a successor (his son-in-law obviously) but said prodigy selfishly died of cancer way too early, just as Osamu was ready to grab the golf clubs. I get the Japanese dinosaur bashing; I often do it myself. But this case is a bit different.

I wish Toshio luck. He's got big shoes to fill.

My Suzuki car has over 200,000km on it and is still going strong! Japanese budget cars are awesome.

Went to a dealer a week or two back-nice guys and straightforward talking!

Suzuki here I come...!

Otsukaresamadesu!

The 91-year-old, who married into the firm's founding family, will leave the post after a shareholder meeting in June and become an adviser, it said. So its OK to change your family surname only if you are marrying into money.

The 91-year-old, who married into the firm's founding family, will leave the post after a shareholder meeting in June and become an adviser, it said. So its OK to change your family surname only if you are marrying into money.

No, they can do it for other reasons as well. Sometimes it's when a man has only daughters, and they want to keep the family name alive.

The question is, did the company spend enough time lining up a decent successor? Time will tell.

That is not what you said. I get a little tired of the way some here bash older people. Yes, hire the young while they still know everything I like to say.

Omedeto.

Ok, I stand corrected. Maybe some 90 year olds are fit to lead. Feel sorry for younger generation who can’t find jobs or get promoted because elders refuse to retire.

I will have to work well into my 70s to pay for the college fund for our late life surprise. I'll be 75 before the little man is ready for college. Not retiring before that. Nonetheless we have no shortage of positions for newly graduated engineers. Positions go unfilled because our requirements are tough and the isolated desert location not to everyone's liking. We joke about things like "termination winds". My wife calls it "the bottom of the wok".