DETROIT: Toyota Motor Corp (TMC) chairman Akio Toyoda was recently inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, in recognition of his global automotive leadership that has brought passion, performance and purpose into modern mobility.
The Automotive Hall of Fame is a United States-based nonprofit organisation that honours individuals whose achievements have significantly influenced the automotive and mobility industry.
Its honorees include automaker executives, inventors, engineers, designers, suppliers, dealers, motorsports figures, journalists, educators and others who have helped shape the industry.
Since 1939, the organisation has honored nearly 800 men and women through its awards programmes, and more than 300 individuals and organizations have received its highest honour, induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
The inaugural 1967 class included Henry Ford, Walter P. Chrysler, Charles Kettering and Alfred P. Sloan.
“Like my grandfather and father before me, I am deeply moved by this honour, and I humbly promise to continue to earn it every day in support of this industry and this automotive family that I am so grateful to be a part of,” said Toyoda during his acceptance speech.
“Together there is nothing we can’t imagine, nothing we can’t create, and nothing we can’t overcome.”
Toyoda became president of TMC in 2009, assuming leadership during one of the most challenging periods in the company’s history.
During that time, he led efforts to strengthen quality controls, rebuild trust in the Toyota brand and reinforce the company’s business foundation.
Toyoda also accelerated decision-making and advanced a region-led management structure by listening closely to customers, dealers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders.
Under his leadership, “making ever-better cars” became central to Toyota’s management philosophy.
As a master driver, Toyoda has further positioned motorsports as a proving ground for developing both people and vehicles.
These efforts have contributed to stronger products and built a culture in which team members are encouraged to take on challenges from a genchi genbutsu, or “go and see,” perspective.
Akio Toyoda is the fourth member of the Toyoda family inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, joining his grandfather, Kiichiro; his father, Shoichiro; and Eiji Toyoda, his grandfather’s cousin.
Fellow inductee Taiichi Ohno, widely regarded as the father of the Toyota Production System, is also among Toyota’s honorees.
