New CEO Takes Up the Role at Magyar Suzuki

After almost five years at the helm of Magyar Suzuki, Masato Atsumi is handing over the reins to an experienced expert on the European market. While Masato Atsumi returns to Japan, Fumito Sakai takes over the management of the plant in Esztergom at a time of technological upheaval.

The Hungarian automotive industry is setting a new course. As Magyar Suzuki Zrt. has officially announced, a change in management is imminent. Fumito Sakai will become the new CEO in March, succeeding Masato Atsumi, who has steered the Esztergom plant through one of the most turbulent phases in recent economic history since 2020.

The new CEO, Fumito Sakai, is no stranger to Hungary. He has been with the Suzuki Group since 2000 and was instrumental in the success of the Esztergom site as Chief Operating Officer between 2015 and 2018. Most recently, he was head of the Central and Eastern European division at Suzuki Motor Corporation.

My goal for the coming years is to continue to secure Magyar Suzuki’s strong and reliable presence for our customers and partners,”

said Fumito Sakai. He emphasized that the company must continue to develop sustainably in a “rapidly changing automotive environment” in order to respond to social needs and technological trends.

Masato Atsumi, Managing Director of Magyar Suzuki Zrt., Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Toshihiro Suzuki, President and Managing Director of Suzuki Motor Corporation (left to right), in Budapest in May 2025 (photo: Zoltán Fischer=Prime Minister’s Communications Department/MTI)

Outgoing CEO Masato Atsumi looks back on a term of office that began immediately with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. “Despite the difficult circumstances, I was able to count on an excellently organized team,” he explained. Under his leadership, the company not only maintained its stability, but also drove forward modernization, digitalization, and the path to climate neutrality.

The outgoing CEO was particularly proud of the international relevance of the plant.

Models from Esztergom are exported to over a hundred countries. We are not only a production site, but also provide numerous services at a European level within the Suzuki Group,”

he explained.

The figures underscore the brand’s dominant position in the Hungarian new car market. As we also reported, Suzuki secured first place in the national passenger car ranking for the 22nd time in 2025 with 14,285 registrations and a market share of 11.04 percent. The S-CROSS was Hungary’s most popular car with 6,500 units sold, followed by the Vitara in second place (5,590 units).

Magyar Suzuki is much more than a car factory; it is the Japanese parent company’s only European plant and serves as a hub for the entire continent. With sales of €2.245 billion in 2024 (down from €2.871 billion in the previous year), the company ranks 13th among Hungary’s top-selling companies. Despite a decline in net profit to €35.264 million in 2024, the company remains a stable pillar of the Hungarian export economy.

With Fumito Sakai at the helm, the company intends to further accelerate its transformation toward electric mobility and climate-neutral production processes in order to secure the long-term competitiveness of the Esztergom site.

Hungarian New Car Market Grows in 2025 as Suzuki Retains Market Leadership