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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South Korean auto major Hyundai Motor Group has received recognition at the 2026 Red Dot Award: Product Design for both its mobile robot platform and its new employee ID card case. The Red Dot Award is a competition honouring designs across product, brand and concept categories.

The Robotics LAB’s MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid) platform was named a winner for its integration of engineering and design. MobED follows the ‘Refined Edge’ philosophy, intended to help robots integrate into human environments. The platform features Drive and Lift (DnL) technology and an eccentric wheel mechanism to maintain stability on uneven surfaces and inclines. It is designed for use in logistics, delivery, and inspection.

Minwoo Park, President and Head of AVP Division of Hyundai Motor Group, said: “The question was never whether the technology works, but whether it works for people — in the real world, at scale. With MobED’s Red Dot recognition, we have demonstrated exactly that. This is Physical AI in practice, and we will continue to push the boundaries of what it can achieve.”

On the other hand, Hyundai Motor Company also received a Red Dot Award for its new employee ID card case. This item is designed for versatility and personal expression, featuring MagSafe capability for magnetic attachment and a modular reel holder. The design allows the detachment of the neck strap so the case can be affixed to smartphones or paired with other accessories.

The case is available in white and clear blue and features replaceable modules to help prevent damage and reduce the need for full replacements. This design also received the iF Design Award. The product is sold through the Hyundai Collection, the official merchandise store of the company.

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Roppen Transportation Services (Rapido) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra Information Technology Corporation (MahaIT), the nodal agency for digital governance in Maharashtra. The partnership aims to support citizen awareness, digital inclusion and mobility ecosystems within the state.

The collaboration will utilise Rapido’s technology and network to assist the adoption of digital governance initiatives such as Aaple Sarkar, MahaID and MahaSaarthi.

Subhash Shelake, spokesperson for MahaIT, said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Rapido to explore how technology platforms and large on-ground mobility networks can support Maharashtra’s larger digital governance and citizen outreach objectives. An important aspect of the MoU includes digitally verifiable onboarding and background verification process including, integration with MahaID, for Rapido Captains to ensure trust, transparency and passenger safety in the state. We also see strong potential in enabling Rapido Captains to act as grassroots digital information ambassadors helping drive greater awareness and adoption of public digital services among citizens across Maharashtra.”

Pavan Guntupalli, Co-Founder, Rapido, said, “At Rapido, we have always believed that mobility platforms can play a larger role in enabling trust, safety and citizen awareness at scale. Through this collaboration with MahaIT, we aim to leverage our digital ecosystem and extensive captain network to support public digital initiatives while continuing to strengthen safer and more trusted mobility experiences for citizens across Maharashtra.”

Under the framework, Rapido will share government-approved awareness messaging via its in-app communication channels to improve reach for public digital services. Additionally, the organisations plan to explore a MAHA-Rapido Fellowship Programme to focus on digital inclusion and capacity-building in Tier 3 and Tier 4 markets in the state.

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Mumbai-headquartered automotive major Mahindra Group has announced the appointment of Purnima Lamba as its new Chief Brand Officer, effective 1 September 2026.

In this role, Lamba will shape and steward the corporate brand and communications strategy for the Group. She will lead the development and execution of a brand narrative aligned with the values, vision and business ambitions of the organisation.

Her responsibilities include overseeing brand consistency across business verticals, ensuring alignment with the identity of the Group and driving initiatives that enhance brand salience across traditional and digital ecosystems.

Dr. Anish Shah, Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group, said, “We are pleased to welcome Purnima Lamba as Chief Brand Officer. Her global experience, strategic thinking, bold creativity and deep consumer insight make her an ideal leader to further strengthen the Mahindra brand. As we continue to build a compelling brand narrative aligned with our values, vision and business ambitions, Purnima’s ability to elevate brands, inspire teams and translate insights into impact will be invaluable. I wish her the very best in this key leadership role.”

Lamba joins the Group after a career spanning 25 years at Unilever, where she held leadership roles across India, the UK and the Netherlands. She has experience in building tech-enabled beauty experiences and digital media models.

She holds a BSc and MSc in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her background includes work across various beauty brands.

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Maruti Suzuki India has established a state-of-the-art Smart Factory Lab at the Government Polytechnic College in Lucknow. The initiative, launched under the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, is designed to train approximately 400 diploma students in its inaugural year, bridging the gap between academic theory and shop-floor engineering.

The Lucknow facility is part of a broader educational upgrade across the country, wherein Maruti Suzuki has deployed Smart Factory Labs across four selected government institutions:

• Government Polytechnic College, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)
• Institute of Engineering and Rural Technology (IERT), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)
• Government Polytechnic, Ambala (Haryana)
• Government Polytechnic, Nilokheri (Haryana)

During the inauguration ceremony in Lucknow, Maruti Suzuki also awarded merit-based scholarships to five top-performing students to encourage academic excellence.

The Smart Factory Labs are engineered to replicate modern industrial settings, transitioning students from traditional mechanical coursework into digitised production ecosystems. The facilities provide hands-on training with several industry-standard systems – Industry 4.0 & Industrial IoT (IIoT), Automation & Motion Control, Pneumatics & Fluid Power and Energy Measurement Infrastructure.

Under the guidance of Maruti Suzuki technical experts, the curriculum emphasises experiential learning, machinery operations, diagnostics and modern shop-floor safety workflows.

Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Skill development is a core pillar of Maruti Suzuki’s CSR initiative. By upgrading facilities into Smart Factory Labs, we are building future-ready professionals in alignment with the Government of India’s Skill India mission. These labs will provide experiential learning opportunities to meet the evolving needs of the manufacturing sector, minimise the skill gap, and instil confidence in students in using industry-specific equipment’s.”

“Alongside upgrading facilities at Government colleges, Maruti Suzuki has also set up four Japan India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM), a collaboration between the governments of Japan and India. JIMs impart advanced manufacturing techniques, hands-on learning, and efficient shop-floor management practices based on Japanese manufacturing principles and soft skills required to make students industry-ready,” he further added.

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