Tech & Biz

Toyota President Akio Toyoda is Heir of Founder Kiichiro Toyoda

by cyn.khoo | June 23, 2009 at 10:08 am

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Akio Toyoda has been appointed the new president of Toyota car manufacturer. Toyoda is the grandson of Kiichiro Toyoda, who founded Toyota, and the son of Shoichiro Toyoda, who has also served as Toyota president.

Toyoda formally became president at a directors' meeting later in the day, the company said in a statement.

The decision to appoint Toyoda comes shortly after Toyota reported its worst annual loss--$4.6 billion--since being founded in 1937. The company's 3,300 shareholders hope that tapping into family roots will help Toyota ascend out of its current state of crisis, particularly given that an even higher loss of $5.8 billion is forecasted for the upcoming year.

In a news conference in January when his appointment was first announced, Toyoda had promised a back-to-basics approach at Toyota, valuing rank-and-file and consumer needs.

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okan (not verified)

at 04:49 on August 1st, 2009

I am a Toyota Corolla HB user. My car got broke down about 1 month ago.
I took my car to the "Toyota Akdemirler Service (Izmir, Turkey)". Although I have
been told that I would get my car back in 10-15 days, it has been almost more
than 1 month now and I am still waiting for my car to get fixed!!!
I have always had some problems with the "Toyota Akdemirler Service" during
my regular car care controls too. They are always careless and they never deliver
the car back in time!
Besides, Toyota Customer Service has been no help about anything!!!
I am so sure that I will never buy a Toyota again and warn all the people around
about not to buy a Toyota as well!!!
It seems that you only care about selling your cars, which is not a proper behavior
for such a big company!!!

Okan Afsar
Izmir, Turkey
owner of Toyota Corolla HB (2007)