Opinion

In 2009, way back in the dim, distant first decade of this century, ‘Kevin ‘07’ was a couple of years into his tumultuous prime ministership, England regained the Ashes and Toyota was boring.Despite leading the market with - you guessed it - a 20 per cent share, dealer showrooms were filled with what now looks like a classic bunch of whitegoods on wheels.A bland Corolla, timid Yaris and by-the-numbers Camry. The ageing Tarago was still on offer and the LandCruiser 200 Series wasn’t exactly pushing the envelope, while the 70 Series soldiered on in a retro-technical time warp. Not a Celica, Supra or MR2 in sight.The dangerously adventurous could opt for a RAV4, Prius or even an Aurion Sportivo… naughty! But the Avensis Verso brought the brand crashing back down to earth. Has there ever been a more vanilla car?However, 2009 was also the year Akio Toyoda, grandson of the man who founded what is now Toyota Motor Corporation, rose to lead the Japanese giant; then as now, the world’s largest carmaker.Having been in the company since the mid-’80s and on the board from 2000 the new CEO and President came to the top job with some big ideas in mind.While some see him as a poseur with ‘Master Driver’ on his business card and a motorsport pseudonym on his crash helmet, I think his ascension was a huge moment in time, not just for Toyota, but the global car business. Here’s why. First and foremost he’s an enthusiast, not just a number-crunching business proprietor. Like the giants of Detroit’s golden era - Lee Iacocca, John DeLorean and Bob Lutz - Toyoda-san is a ‘car guy’. One who’d been working the angles behind the scenes as TMC’s Executive Vice President since 2005. And he hit the ground running.A key supporter of the FJ Cruiser, which managed to wrap heritage and modernity into a super-fun package with (cost-saving) Prado underpinnings, he was also a fan of the Rukus.  Arriving in 2010, the squared-off wagon wasn’t a screaming success here (or elsewhere, for that matter) but it was an infinitely bolder, more interesting car designed to be customisable for goodness sake.  And soon enough it was followed by the pure and simple 86 (made viable via co-production with Subaru) and a new Supra (a JV with BMW).Exciting Toyotas were back, with the rest of the brand’s line-up basking in the new found excitement.Like all good strategic objectives, Akio’s ‘Making ever-better cars’ mantra is simple on the surface but brilliantly flexible in practice.On a purely operation level it’s led to the development of the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform that, since its arrival in 2015, has delivered not only cost savings and improved manufacturing efficiencies but dynamic, more engaging products.Have you driven a TNGA Camry lately? It’s really, really good.His long-term position on hybrid propulsion has proved to be another winner, with Akio expanding the concept out from the Prius program to underpin Toyota’s broader powertrain philosophy, standing his ground while other global carmakers made furious all-in bets on pure-electric tech.That continuing success with hybrid has laid down a marker for other brands, including the latest crop of Chinese challengers, to follow.Then there’s the off-beat Gazoo Racing, GR for short, with an occasional hardcore extension to GRMN (Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring).BMW DNA aside, the GR Supra was a mark of ongoing intent with the rip-snorting GR Yaris and GR Corolla (the latter with a GRMN version reportedly in the offing) and of course the just-landed GR GT following. The MR2 and possibly Celica are set for a comeback any tick of the clock (and stand by for the uber-cool LandCruiser FJ).Even though he was no doubt part of the decision to select reverse on F1 (in 2009) Akio saw sports endurance racing as a better bet for hybrid development and promotion with five Le Mans victories and four World Manufacturers Championship titles in the last decade vindicating the move.Even though he stepped down as Toyota CEO in early 2023, his ongoing role as Chairman has allowed Akio to continue making a mark on the company’s brand direction and personality.Ongoing development of hydrogen, in fuel-cell and internal-combustion form, is part of Toyota’s ‘multi-pathway’ program also covering internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid and battery-electric vehicle development.In short, Akio Toyoda is an automotive superhero that’s had the courage to take a multi-faceted giant to new heights thanks largely to a focus on products that are not only reliable, well-made and cheap to service but daring, innovative and fun to drive. More power to him! 

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