a capital alliance with competitor Toyota Motor Corp in 2019 in a bid to partner in the development of self-driving vehicles. Legacy Osamu Suzuki built the Suzuki empire, in a conservative way, by looking across the globe for prospective buyers and by cutting costs sharply. He is stated to be concerned about wasteful spending and always on the look-out for ways to save costs. It is reported that once, during a routine factory inspection, he cited 215 cases of wasteful expenditure such as removing 1900 light bulbs to save 40,000 in electricity costs, asking the executives to take split trip railway tickets, rather than direct fare tickets, thereby saving 2 per ticket and changing the color of the factory floor to save paint. During his reign as the chief executive officer, Suzuki Corporation was transformed into a global conglomerate. He was successful in spreading the Suzuki message in 190 countries where the auto giant is having significant presence. He had the vision to avoid a direct fight with the other global auto manufacturers who were competing with each other using cutting-edge technology. Instead, he looked out for unexplored markets with small but modern cars which changed the automobile trends in the countries he entered. In India, for example, he introduced small modern cars when the market was dominated by old fashioned, outdated cars, there by, reportedly, revolutionizing the auto industry. Osamu Suzuki's fiscal prudence is reported to be one of the reasons behind the rise of Suzuki Motor Corporation to the status of an auto giant by selling small low priced cars, still making a profit. Awards and recognitions Padma Bhushan – Government of India – 2007 Sitara-e-Pakistan – Government of Pakistan – 1984 Middle Cross with the Star Order of Merit – Republic of Hungary – 2004 References 1930 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in trade and industry Japanese businesspeople Japanese chairpersons of corporations Recipients of Pakistani civil awards and decorations Suzuki people Chief executives in the automobile industry Living people Mukoyōshi Chuo University alumni