Former Toyota executive
TOKYO — Tatsuro Toyoda, the former Toyota Motor Corp. president who led the company’s climb to become one of the world’s top automakers, has died. He was 88.
Toyoda, a son of the company’s founder, died Dec. 30 of pneumonia, the Japanese automaker said on Saturday.
Toyoda, the automaker’s seventh president, stepped down from the position in 1995, while continuing in other posts, such as adviser, a title he held until his death.
He was instrumental in setting up the California joint venture with U.S. rival General Motors called NUMMI, or New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., which began production in 1984. At that time, it was heralded as a pioneer in international collaborations in the industry.
With a career focused on international operations, Toyoda served as NUMMI’s first president, and is known for his efforts to bring together Toyota’s corporate culture of super-efficiency, teamwork and empowering workers with American culture, including introducing a new style of labor-management relations.
Toyoda’s father, Kiichiro Toyoda, founded the company. His brother, Shoichiro Toyoda, whom he succeeded as president, is current President Akio Toyoda’s father. When Tatsuro Toyoda handed the helm to an executive outside the Toyota family, there was speculation he may be the last Toyoda family member to lead the company.
He is survived by wife, Ayako Toyoda. his