Isuzu’s Masanori Katayama will take the leading role in the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association as Toyota’s successor
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November 22, 2023 11:06
Akio Toyoda, chairman and master driver of Toyota Motor Corporation, will step down as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), which represents 14 automakers and 5.5 million employees. Mr. Toyoda is the only bureaucrat to have led Japan’s auto industry for three terms, with two-year terms in 2012, 2018, and 2022.
Mr. Toyoda is known for his cautious views on the mass adoption of electric vehicles and self-driving cars, and has proposed a multifaceted approach to the future of the auto industry. Despite the criticism, Toyoda has defended the slow uptake of EVs at Japanese automakers compared to competing brands and is pursuing alternative routes to carbon neutrality.
Regarding critics, Toyoda said that the attitude of society as a whole has changed. The outgoing chairman acknowledged that it was “the 5.5 million people on the front line” who had kept him going, adding: “It takes time to change things.” His leadership role at JAMA allowed him to advance the interests of local automakers and suppliers for a longer period of time than his JAMA predecessors.
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Read more: Akio Toyoda lives in fear that Toyota will return to a boring world
Earlier this year, Akio Toyoda stepped down from his long-time position as Toyota’s CEO, but continues to serve as Toyota’s chairman. The grandson of Toyota’s founder is also known as an avid driving enthusiast and is a driving force behind the Toyota Gazoo racing division.
New chairman from the truck industry
Mr. Masanori Katayama, chairman of Isuzu Motors, is scheduled to succeed Mr. Akio Toyoda as the new chairman of the JAMA on January 1, 2024. Mr. Toyota and Mr. Katayama agreed that the automobile sector will continue to be an essential industry for Japan. According to Automotive News, this is the first time that the president of a trucking company has been appointed as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. The move comes as Japan faces a labor shortage ahead of a new law that will further restrict professional drivers’ working hours.
Mr. Katayama will be supported by vice chairmen, including the CEOs of Nissan Motors (Mr. Makoto Uchida), Honda (Mr. Toshihiro Mibe), and Toyota Motors (Mr. Koji Sato), as well as influential figures from the bus, truck, and motorcycle industries. become.
JAMA’s rebranding of the Tokyo Motor Show to the Japan Mobility Show and expansion into the technology industry has been a success. At a time when car shows were on the verge of being forgotten, the Tokyo exhibition attracted 1.11 million visitors. The JAMA’s next challenge is to comply with the Japanese government’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.