In cruise control

By now it is no secret that Suzuki is firmly in the driver's seat at its Indian subsidiary, Maruti, and not just through structured deals but in other subtle ways too. After Maruti Suzuki's Annual Family Day 2014 recently, employees haven't stopped gossiping about the opening address by Managing Director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa. Not because there were great words of wisdom to be heard, but employees who attended the event had not expected a change in the standard routine. Previous Family Day celebrations began with motivational speeches by the automobile manufacturer's production and HR heads. This year, however, only Ayukawa appeared on the dais and talked about how he looked forward to complete co-operation from all employees in fulfilling the company's targets.