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As part of the 40 years celebration, Suzuki Motor Corporation announced establishment of Suzuki R&D Centre India Private Limited (SRDI). Through SRDI, Suzuki will establish a framework to strengthen its R&D competitiveness and capabilities. SRDI will work together with the rich technical talent in the country to develop new technologies for India as well as other global markets.

Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, Ambassador of Japan to India, Satoshi Suzuki, Minister of State, Government of Gujarat, Jagdishbhai Ishwarbhai Vishwarkarma (Panchal) and Member of Parliament, C. R. Patil were present at the ceremony. Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal and Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana Dushyant Chautala attended the ceremony virtually from Kharkhoda, Haryana.

From Suzuki Motor Corporation, Osamu Suzuki, Former Chairman and Toshihiro Suzuki, President and Maruti Suzuki leadership represented by R. C. Bhargava, Chairman; Kenichi Ayukawa, Executive Vice Chairman and Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, hosted the guests at the ceremony.

Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited elaborated upon the success of 40 years of Suzuki’s partnership with the people of India.

He said, “This partnership has shown that the combination of Japanese and Indian strengths results in world class competitiveness. We learnt that strong teamwork between employees and management is possible and creates a win-win situation for both. 98% of our workers pay income tax, and a large percentage own cars and houses. We understood the critical role of a robust and competitive supply chain. We have learnt how to make continuous improvements in quality and the importance of always focussing on the customer.”

“With the success of Maruti Suzuki, India has become the 4th largest car manufacturer in the world.

The introduction of low cost and reliable transport led to giving women a much greater degree of independence, participating in the job market, and promoting economic activities. The automobile sector is one of the leading employment creators. India has also become a large exporter of cars, with Maruti Suzuki alone selling about a quarter million units,” he added.

Bhargava also announced the setting up of Suzuki Foundation, which initially intends to engage in activities to promote more competitive manufacturing in India.

Addressing the audience Toshihiro Suzuki, President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “Over the past forty years, Maruti Suzuki has been the prominent leader in the Indian automobile sector. Maruti Suzuki is recognized as the most successful joint project between India and Japan.”

Talking about Maruti Suzuki’s increasing importance in Suzuki’s global operations, he said, “In the last fiscal, Suzuki group produced about 28 lakh automobiles all over the world. Out of those, more than 16 lakh units, or about 60 percent, were produced in India.”

Announcing the new project for Research & Development in India, Mr. Toshihiro Suzuki, said, “We aim to strengthen our R&D competitiveness and capabilities in new fields of technologies not only for India but also for the global markets.”