The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has posthumously conferred Padma Vibhushan, one of the highest civilian awards, to Late Osamu Suzuki, Former Chairman, Suzuki Motor Corporation and Former Director & Honorary Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India, in a formal conferment ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on 28 April 2025.

The Padma Vibushan was conferred to Osamu Suzuki for his outstanding contribution in the field of trade and industry. The award was accepted by Toshihiro Suzuki, Representative Director and President, Suzuki Motor Corporation on behalf of his late father.

Toshihiro Suzuki, said, “My sincere gratitude to the Honourable President of India and the Government of India for awarding the prestigious Padma Vibhushan to my father, Osamu Suzuki, Former Chairman, Suzuki Motor Corporation. I have just received this high-level award on his behalf, and I am deeply honoured. I believe he is, from heaven, looking back fondly on the 45 years he spent with India, his second home.”

“This award goes not only to my father, but also to all the people who have worked at Suzuki, Maruti Suzuki and all our business partners, who have supported us in this journey. My father must be feeling very proud today. I am also feeling extremely proud to receive this award. All the employees at Suzuki and Maruti Suzuki and our business partners must be feeling proud of this recognition. This award also expresses thanks to the ‘love of Indian people towards Suzuki’. This award belongs to all of you.”

“We, at Team Suzuki, will carry forward the commitment of Osamu Suzuki with the same passion to bring inclusive and sustainable mobility solutions that will be loved by the people of India,” he added.

Osamu Suzuki played a key role in driving the Indian automotive industry, especially the passenger vehicle segment. Under his leadership, Maruti Suzuki began manufacturing passenger vehicles with around 100,000 units per annum capacity in 1983.

The company is now one of the largest passenger vehicle manufacturers not just in India, but globally.  It was last year that the company reached a cumulative production milestone of 30 million units, an annual production of 2 million units and exporting over 3 million units cumulatively today.

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The 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) have agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves. This collective action is intended to address market disruptions resulting from the conflict in the Middle East that began on 28 February 2026.

The decision follows an extraordinary meeting of IEA governments to assess global supply conditions. Exports of crude and refined products through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to less than 10 percent of levels recorded before the conflict, leading operators to curtail regional production.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical corridor for global energy, with an average of 20 million barrels per day transiting the waterway in 2025. This volume represents approximately 25 percent of the world's seaborne oil trade. Current disruptions have limited the options for bypassing the strait.

IEA members maintain stockpiles exceeding 1.2 billion barrels, in addition to 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government mandates. The 400 million barrels release marks the sixth coordinated action in the agency's history since its formation in 1974. Previous releases occurred in 1991, 2005, 2011 and twice in 2022. The current export rate is estimated to be less than 10 percent of pre-conflict volumes.

Faith Birol, Executive Director, IEA, said, “The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA Member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size. Oil markets are global so the response to major disruptions needs to be global too. Energy security is the founding mandate of the IEA, and I am pleased that IEA Members are showing strong solidarity in taking decisive action together.”

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As part of its evolving global roadmap, French automotive major Renault Group is increasingly aligning its strategy around a select set of high-growth markets, with India emerging as a critical pillar for the company’s future competitiveness.

Senior leadership indicated that the carmaker now views India not merely as a domestic sales market but as a full-fledged industrial and sourcing hub capable of strengthening its global supply chain. With localisation levels already exceeding 90 percent, the company believes the Indian ecosystem can play a significant role in improving cost competitiveness and supporting exports to other regions.

To accelerate this transformation, the Group strengthened its leadership structure in the India by appointing a Stephane Deblaise as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to oversee the entire India operation. The move reflects a broader intent to deepen local decision-making and integrate the market more closely into Renault’s global strategy.

India and South America drive future trade opportunities

The company is also exploring the potential benefits of free trade agreements (FTAs) that could further strengthen export flows from India and South America.

Executives indicated that improved trade frameworks could enhance the role of India as a competitive production and sourcing base, particularly as global automakers reassess supply chains and regional manufacturing footprints.

At the same time, the company remains cautious in other global markets. Chinese suppliers currently account for around five percent of Renault’s global sourcing, and the group has no plans to re-enter the Chinese market in the near term.

A key shift in the group’s strategy since 2019 has been a move away from aggressively chasing volumes toward building stronger brand value and profitability.

Instead of pushing for market share in every region, Renault says it is focusing on markets where it can build a sustainable and profitable business case. The emphasis is now on delivering differentiated products, stronger customer value and improved quality rather than simply expanding volumes.

This philosophy is shaping the company’s approach to India as well.

Rather than targeting the entire market, Renault plans to focus on specific customer segments, particularly middle- and upper-income families seeking value-driven mobility solutions. The company believes that strengthening product positioning and improving residual values will ultimately support stronger brand perception.

India’s passenger vehicle market remains highly competitive, especially in the price band of EUR 15,000–20,000 vehicles, where global and domestic manufacturers are battling for share.

Historically, Renault established its presence in the country through entry-level offerings such as the Renault Kwid. However, the company is now looking to shift its brand positioning toward higher-value products.

The success of the Renault Duster in the past continues to shape Renault’s product roadmap, with the company describing the nameplate as a brand in itself in several markets. Building on this equity, Renault plans to introduce new SUV offerings that combine stronger design, advanced technologies and multi-energy powertrain options.

One such upcoming concept is the Renault Bridger, which the company believes could be a game changer in its product portfolio. Designed around flexible powertrain architectures, the model is expected to support multiple energy options as part of Renault’s broader global push toward electrified and hybrid mobility solutions.

The company emphasised that it is not starting from scratch in India, pointing out that millions of customers already drive Renault vehicles across the country.

Another major focus area for the group is accelerating product development cycles.

According to Renault’s leadership, one of the biggest challenges facing the global automotive industry today is the ability to develop new vehicles in less than two years while keeping pace with rapidly evolving technologies.

The company has already demonstrated faster development cycles in China and is now working to replicate that agility in Europe by integrating engineers and suppliers more closely into the product development process.

This approach could also influence Renault’s India strategy, particularly as the company looks to launch new products more quickly and respond faster to market shifts.

Strengthening downstream ecosystem

Beyond manufacturing and product strategy, Renault is also placing increasing emphasis on downstream value creation, including dealership networks, customer services and vehicle residual values.

Management believes that stronger engagement with dealers and improved lifecycle value for customers will be critical differentiators in markets like India, where brand perception and resale value play a significant role in purchasing decisions.

The company currently maintains capital expenditure and R&D spending below eight percent of revenue, while maintaining tight control over inventory levels, which average around EUR 1 billion globally.

While Renault acknowledges that its current market share in India remains modest, the company sees substantial long-term potential in the country’s rapidly expanding passenger vehicle market.

With a renewed focus on SUVs, high localisation levels and a shift toward value-driven products, the French automaker believes it has a credible opportunity to rebuild momentum in the market.

For Renault, the strategy is clear: rather than chasing scale at any cost, the company intends to grow selectively and profitably, with India playing an increasingly central role in its global ambitions.

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French automotive major Renault Group, which unveiled its mid-term business strategy ‘futuREady’, will see India playing a huge role in its ambitious growth plan.

Fabrice Cambolive, CEO, Renault Brand, has stated that the company’s upcoming Bridger SUV, slated to be a key driver for growth, will go into production by next year.

What’s more, the sub-4-metre tech-loaded Bridger SUV touted as the company's flagship for the international markets with a spacious 400-litre boot, will see India as its first market before being exported to other countries.

As part of its future plans, the Bridger SUV will be a multi-energy vehicle, which means petrol, electric vehicle and a hybrid engine to enable transition towards EV.

While full details of the product will be revealed closer to launch, the company has clearly stated that outside Europe, India, South America and South Korea are key growth regions.

The high-growth markets with an estimated 50 million units per annum, represent 60 percent of total industry volume growth where Renault Group is present.

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French automotive major Renault Group has launched its new strategic roadmap, titled futuREady, marking the next phase of its corporate transformation following the 2021 ‘Renaulution’ plan. The strategy aims to establish the Group as a benchmark European carmaker through an offensive in products, technology and operational performance.

The Group has set medium-term financial targets including an operating margin between 5 percent and 7 percent and an average automotive free cash flow of at least EUR 1.5 billion per year.

Product Offensive and Global Growth

Renault Group plans to launch 36 new models globally by 2030. The strategy focuses on two distinct geographic tracks:

• Europe: 22 new models, of which 16 will be electric. The Renault brand aims for 100 percent electrified sales in this region by 2030.
• International: 14 new models targeted at growth hubs in India, South America, and South Korea. The Group expects 50 percent of Renault brand sales to come from outside Europe by the end of the decade.

A cornerstone of the plan is the RGEV Medium 2.0 electric platform. This modular 800-volt architecture is designed to reduce costs by 40 percent compared to current electric vehicles.

Technical specifications for the 2030 horizon include:

• Charging: Ultra-fast charging capability of 10 minutes.
• Range: Up to 750 km (WLTP) for pure electric versions and 1,400 km with a range extender.
• Software: Transition from Software Defined Vehicles (SDV) to Artificial Intelligence Defined Vehicles (AIDV), with 90 percent of functions updated via Firmware Over The Air (FOTA).
• Powertrain: A third-generation rare-earth-free motor (EESM) delivering 275 hp with 93 percent motorway efficiency.

Renault Group intends to halve factory downtime and reduce energy consumption by 25 percent through the use of an industrial metaverse – a digital twin of all manufacturing sites. The plan involves deploying 350 humanoid robots for low value-added tasks and using AI to supervise 1,000 manufacturing control points. These measures aim for a 20 percent reduction in production costs and a 30 percent reduction in logistics costs.

Francois Provost, CEO, Renault Group, said, “futuREady, our new strategic plan, is a crucial step in the future of Renault Group. In an environment that is even more competitive, we can build on solid fundamentals: our brands, our products and our financial results. Since my appointment as CEO last July, we have been working with the whole team worldwide to develop a plan that will set the Group on the path to robust and sustainable performance, whatever the challenges ahead.”

“Becoming Europe's reference carmaker means setting the ambition to design and produce in Europe products that are best in class in terms of desirability, technology and competitiveness. In an increasingly competitive environment, this means combining performance and innovation with resilience and robust strength,” added Provost.

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