Osamu Suzuki inducted into Motoring Hall of Fame

LONDON: In the lead-up to his 94th birthday in January, Osamu Suzuki, senior advisor to Suzuki Motor Corporation, is celebrating his induction into The Motoring Hall of Fame club.

He is one of only 39 high-achieving personalities from across the globe to have been inducted into club since 2010.

Additionally, his 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 Stirling Moss who passed away in 2020.

Established in 2010, The Motoring Hall of Fame is partnered by Newspress and The British Motor Show. Its inductees are men and women considered 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.

“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.

Osamu was also credited with the success of the Jimny he launched in 2018 . It 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.

The next step would be for a battery electric vehicle, with the first one arriving in 2025.

For 2024, Suzuki said it would introduce its all-new Swift Hybrid model.

The new Swift would be powered by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with enhanced fuel economy and even lower CO2 emissions.

It's expected to be packed with advanced technological features as well as an optional Allgrip "Auto" 4WD. Full specifications will be announced closer to launch.

Suzuki has sold over 9 million Swifts globally since 2004.