Toyota announced on Thursday that it will be shaking up its North American chain of command. Toyota will replace its top two North American executives with two executive from its European and Japanese operations.
Tetsuo Agata, 55, will be taking over Seiichi Sudo’s position as president and COO of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. Agata was most recently Toyota’s head of research and development in Europe. Sudo, 57, will be returning to Japan.
In addition, Shigeki Terashi, 53, will replace Yasuhiko Ichihashi as executive vice president of the division and president of Toyota Technical Center, according to Automotive News. Terashi lasted headed Toyota’s development center in Japan. Ichihashi, 56, will also be headed back to Japan and will be serving as Toyota’s senior managing director in r&d.
Toyota failed to give a reason for the shakeup, but recent quality woes could have been the driving factors.
06/26, 12:20 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Quality woes? Last I heard Toyota was still one of the best out there. Though maybe new management means we can get some exciting cars again. The whole Toyota lineup is about as attractive as a grilled cheese sandwich. Didn’t I read somewhere that the average Toyota buyer is 50 years old?
06/26, 12:36 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Now batting clean up for the visiting team, number 55 Tetsuo Agata!
06/26, 12:37 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
It’s hara-kiri time at Toyota! Can’t wait for the youtube vids!
06/26, 1:04 PM
posted by:
brassmonkey
Mayer, that’s some funny ****. Man, them crazy Japs really get ‘dishonored’ if they get ****canned. In America, we just come back to work with a gun and take care of ****.
06/26, 1:46 PM
posted by:
Jordan
the newest gen avalons, camrys, and tundras have had quality control issues. not enough to really impact the public’s perception of toyota, but enough that hemiroadrunner will bitch all day about how domestics are just as reliable as foreign imports.
06/26, 1:46 PM
posted by:
HemiRoadRunner
I can’t wait until these japs return home to japan. Maybe I’ll see them on the best damn show ever made, MXC, Most Extreme Elimination Challenge on Spike TV! That’s the only thing they’re good for anyway, getting the $H!T beat out of them on obstacle courses.
06/26, 1:53 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
They were sacked immediately after suggesting that Toyota make cars that are non-ugly.
06/26, 2:09 PM
posted by:
xyunya
mayer_ray_nagin, I concur. Interesting viewing.
06/26, 2:09 PM
posted by:
xyunya
BTW, there is absolutely no house cleaning at GM and Ford. Same assholes drive in the same insane direction.
06/26, 2:23 PM
posted by:
foster1
Have any of you driven a Ford Lately? If you have not I suggest you go drive one with an open mind. There is no shake up at Ford and GM because the last few year’s they have been on the right track making there car’s and truck’s better. While smug Toyota is selling off of there reputation from the 80’s and early 90’s. You really didn’t think that GM and Ford were going to go away for ever did you. GO to ford.com and see whats has changed.
06/26, 2:28 PM
posted by:
cookie4me
I’m sure this had much more to do with sales than quality as these guys inherited any quality woes and uninspiring vehicle styling.
06/26, 2:29 PM
posted by:
HemiRoadRunner
If I ran the company, I would be playing AC/DC’s “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll” as I was firing these top execs.
06/26, 3:31 PM
posted by:
xyunya
foster1, I have a better suggestion: test drive Ford and then test drive competition: Honda, Nissan. Toyota has not been drivers car for a while. If you ever rent cars for business, try to book Honda: in 20 years I managed one once, guess what I was driving all other trips. And if GM and Ford doing so great why public isn’t buying those magnificent driving machines? BTW, there is a new post suggesting that GM stock is recommended to be dumped, as far as Ford stock concern, it is already passed that stage (damped).
06/26, 5:36 PM
posted by:
affliction
What’s sad about Ford and GM is that not even those hardcore patriotic Americans buy their crappy cars anymore. You see these hardcore Americans putting up USA flags on Hondas, Toyotas, and Subarus now. What a shame. I’ve been in American cars with 40,000 miles or less and they idle like pure crap. The interior is all fallen apart as well. You gotta be kidding me! 40k miles and the damn cars sound like they are about to die out? On the flipside, Hondas and Toyotas sound/ride a hell of a lot better even at 200k miles.
06/26, 5:51 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
This one’s for you HemiR:
Now batting cleanup for the visiting team- Anuda Koksuka.
06/26, 11:57 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
It makes my dick hard when I hear about Toyota’s struggles.
06/27, 1:22 AM
posted by:
bigp
that **** wont help you damn bitches
06/27, 2:42 PM
posted by:
lamboz get a life
affliction-what year did you own a domestic car, 1990?
06/27, 3:17 PM
posted by:
tripleonefive
affliction-Hondas and Toyotas sound/ride a hell of a lot better even at 200k miles
I would say 250k -300k with very little problems