Mr. Toyoda will step down as chief executive of Toyota and become the company’s chairman effective April 1st this year. Koji Sato, a top executive at Lexus will be the replacement CEO.
Akio Toyoda is a prominent business executive and the current President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. He was born on May 3, 1956, in Nagoya, Japan, as the grandson of Toyota’s founder, Kiichiro Toyoda.
Toyoda graduated from Keio University in 1979 with a degree in law and then went on to study at Babson College in the United States, where he earned an MBA in 1982. After finishing his studies, Toyoda joined Toyota Motor Corporation and began working in various positions in different departments.
In 1998, Toyoda was appointed as the head of Toyota’s China operations, where he oversaw the company’s rapid expansion in the Chinese market. He returned to Japan in 2000 and was appointed to lead the company’s domestic marketing operations.
In 2005, Toyoda was promoted to executive vice president and was appointed to oversee all of Toyota’s operations in North America. In this role, he was responsible for the company’s manufacturing, sales, and marketing activities in the region.
In 2009, Toyoda was appointed as the President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, succeeding Katsuaki Watanabe. Toyoda took over at a difficult time for the company, as it was dealing with a major recall crisis that had damaged its reputation for quality and safety.
Under Toyoda’s leadership, Toyota underwent a significant transformation, with a renewed focus on quality, safety, and innovation. He introduced a series of reforms aimed at improving the company’s internal processes and culture, including the establishment of a new global quality task force and the creation of a new position of chief quality officer.
In addition, Toyoda oversaw a major expansion of Toyota’s hybrid and electric vehicle offerings, including the introduction of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle.
Toyoda’s leadership has been widely recognised, and he has been awarded numerous honours and accolades for his contributions to the automotive industry. In 2014, he was named the World Car Person of the Year, and in 2017 he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
Kris is the founder of 86modified.com and has a love for cars and modifying them. He has owned many different Japanese cars and has enjoyed installing modifications to get more power or fitting body parts to change the aesthetics.
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