Many people, he added, hesitate to voice their reservations about EVs because of pressure they feel from pro-EV groups.Īccording to Toyoda, it was his experience of feeling discriminated against that taught him to tap in to such channels of opinion. In December, Toyoda said he was standing up for a “silent majority" in the auto industry that questions whether it is right to make EVs the sole option for car buyers. Toyoda’s perception of himself as facing off with disparaging elites mirrors how he talks today about the auto world’s transition to electric vehicles. “My heart broke many times and more than once or twice I thought about quitting," he said. He recalled at this year’s meeting how he felt “unwanted by everyone." Tears followed. Akio Toyoda’s father, Shoichiro, who died recently at age 97, ran the company for a decade.īut in Akio Toyoda’s telling, his assumption of the top job in 2009 after a series of nonfamily leaders wasn’t welcomed as the coronation of the rightful heir. These moments from the self-proclaimed “prone-to-tears president" reveal a self-image quite different from what the world might assume about the scion of an auto dynasty.Īkio Toyoda’s grandfather, Kiichiro, founded what is now the world’s biggest automaker by vehicle sales. Toyoda, 67, has made it a tradition to cry at shareholder meetings, which he has said he sees as once-a-year occasions to look in the mirror and re-evaluate.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |