Toyota announced major shifts to its senior management team on Monday, including the takeover of new CEO Koji Sato in the coming months, as it shifts toward electrifying its upcoming vehicles (via Bloomberg).
Along with Sato’s move to CEO following predecessor Akio Toyoda, Hiroki Nakajima and Yoichi Miyazaki will become the chief technology officer and chief financial officer, respectively, effective on April 1. Sato is also set to take the CEO role beginning on April 1.
Both executives Nakajima and Miyazaki will also join Toyota’s board of directors, as joined by the recently appointed Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphries.
Toyota is planning to release 30 electric vehicle (EV) models by 2030, and the company is targeting around 3.5 million sales per year by that time.
The automaker is also expecting to spend around $31 billion (4 trillion yen) to help roll out its EVs, which is notably set to include a range of models from gas and hybrid options to fully electric and hydrogen-powered cars.
During a recent news conference, Sato detailed the importance of improving Toyota’s strategy communication to the public, as many critics have lodged complaints that the automaker isn’t shifting away from fossil fuels quickly enough.
“The notion that Toyota’s efforts to electrify are lagging — I think half of that comes down to communication,” Sato said.
“Under Master Driver Toyoda, we have been preparing to create BEVs unique to Toyota and Lexus. Through these efforts, we have come to see the kind of BEVs we are aiming for,” said Toyota’s Sato in a statement.
“Now that the time is right, we will accelerate BEV development with a new approach. Specifically, we will develop next-generation BEVs for Lexus brand by 2026, with everything from the battery and platform to how a car is built optimized for BEVs, while expanding our current BEV lineup,” said Sato.
Toyota’s all-electric vehicle sales have been less than impressive, with the all-electric bZ4X facing an early recall last year, to go with uninspiring performance and range versus other EV competitors such as Tesla.
Toyota Scientist Defends Hybrids, Says His Tesla Model X Battery is ‘Waste of Materials’ https://t.co/7IkBw2r1NE
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) February 1, 2023
