Toyota was chairman emeritus of Toyota Motor who turned the Japanese carmaker into a leading global brand
Soichiro Toyoda, the chairman emeritus of Toyota Motor who turned the Japanese automaker into a leading global brand, died today of heart failure, the company said. He was 97 years old.
Toyoda, the third-generation scion of the founding family to inherit a stake in the business, is credited with establishing a culture of quality control at the company, helping it grow into a world-leading automaker.
He was also responsible for pushing Toyota, which began as a toolmaker, to produce vehicles overseas.
The grandson of Sakichi Toyoda, who founded the Toyota Group, and the son of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Co., Toyota’s predecessor, Soichiro Toyoda joined the company as a board member at just 27 years old.
He was promoted to the position of managing director in 1961 for his efforts in improving product quality.
He became executive vice president in 1972 and in 1981 was named president of Toyota’s sales organization.
Following a merger of the production and sales organization divisions a year later, he took the helm of the newly merged Toyota Motor, continuing to serve as chairman of the board from 1992 to 1999.
Even after he stepped down from the board in 2009, Toyoda continued to wield great influence over the company, which is now one of the world’s largest automakers.
Source: Skai
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