- Toyota has appointed Kenta Kon as its new CEO, effective April 1.
- Current CEO Koji Sato, who has been in the role since 2023, will become vice chairman and chief industry officer.
- Kon currently serves as Toyota's CFO and is described by Automotive News as a "longtime confidant" of former CEO Akio Toyoda.
In 2023, after more than a decade at the helm of the automotive giant founded by his grandfather, Akio Toyoda stepped aside as CEO of Toyota, and Koji Sato took his place. Now, just three years later, Toyota's executive structure is undergoing another reshuffling, with Sato set to be replaced by Toyota chief financial officer Kenta Kon.
Kon will take over the role of CEO on April 1. Sato, meanwhile, will transition to become vice chairman and also assume a new position as chief industry officer. Kon's current job of CFO will be filled by executive vice president Yoichi Miyazaki, who has previously served in that role.
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According to Toyota, the changes are meant to lessen Sato's workload. Sato became the chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association in January, and Toyota says he will now "focus on the broader industry, including Toyota, as Vice Chairman and CIO, while Kon will focus on internal company management as President and CEO."
Kon, described by Automotive News as a "longtime confidant" of Akio Toyoda, will bring a more business-focused approach to leading the company after the previous two CEOs, who both had more of a background in automotive engineering. Before his stint as Toyota CEO, Sato had served as president of the Lexus brand and Gazoo Racing (GR), Toyota's motorsports and performance car division, whicih has grown in importance over the past several years. After leading the development of sportier Toyota models such as the GR Corolla and Supra, Gazoo Racing is now becoming a fully fledged brand under the Toyota umbrella, starting with the GR GT supercar coming later this year.
Kon's focus will be on improving Toyota's profits. "My role will be establishing this good profit structure, this foundation, so that the people can take on courageous challenges," he said at a Tokyo news conference, quoted by Automotive News. "I want to use that money for the future of Toyota."
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Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
