Akio Toyoda is the grandson of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, and has been at the helm of the Japanese car giant since 2009 – just after the banking crisis, when Toyota posted its first loss in decades. He is a notorious motorsport enthusiast and took part in the 24 hours of the Nürburgring under the alias ‘Morizo’. It is no coincidence that Toyota and Lexus released more and more sports cars under his supervision, including the Lexus LF-A, Toyota GT86 and GR86, the GR Supra, GR Yaris and the GR Corolla.
No more boring cars
The majority of those nice models came after the slogan ‘No more boring cars’, which Toyoda pronounced in 2017. It meant that Toyota was no longer seen as just the boring, reliable and economical choice, but also the exciting and even fun choice. And not only for the sports cars, but also for the more everyday models in the range. Compare the design of the current Prius or even the Corolla with their predecessors.
Well, Toyoda turns 67 this year and therefore had to start thinking about an heir to the throne. It has become Koji Sato, who was already COO and branding director within Toyota and will therefore take over as COO, CEO and chairman from April 1, 2023. Toyoda is stepping aside, but is not leaving the company yet: he will become chairman of the manufacturer’s board of directors and can therefore whistle back at his CEO if his decisions threaten to harm the interests of shareholders.
