Toyota Honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda passes away at 97

MANILA: Shoichiro Toyoda, who oversaw Toyota's development into foreign markets as the company's founder's son, has passed away. He was 97. The company's honorary chairman, Toyoda, passed away on Tuesday from heart failure, according to a statement from Toyota Motor Corp..

He was the father of Akio Toyoda, who recently declared his intention to leave his position as president and CEO to take the company's chairmanship. Kiichiro Toyoda, who established Toyota in 1937, had an older son named Shoichiro.

After taking over as Toyota's president in 1982, Shoichiro Toyoda assisted in guiding the company's transition into a major international carmaker, particularly in the crucial U.S. market, where its name came to stand for reliability, engineering skill, and quality.

Toyota's US history 

Father and son both lived through the trying era of "Japan-bashing," when strong Japanese exporters like Toyota were held responsible for the loss of American blue-collar jobs. The firm chose to join the American car industry, demonstrating that Toyota was a benefit to the country's citizens by generating employment and value.

Shoichiro Toyoda worked with his brother Tatsuro to make it possible for Toyota to establish factories in the United States. In 1983, the business established a joint venture with General Motors. Its first car was produced by New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., also known as NUMMI, in Freemont, California, in 1984.

Shoichiro Toyoda's Achievements, Toyota Founding  

Although Toyota has had several top executives who were not members of its founding family, the firm relied on the history and historical charisma of the founding family to see it through difficult times. In 2007, Shoichiro Toyoda was admitted to the United States Automotive Hall of Fame for his contributions to "Toyota's position as one of the most renowned and celebrated vehicle manufacturers in the world."

He earned an engineering degree from the famous Nagoya University in 1947 and began working at Toyota in 1952.

He allegedly worked side by side with other employees at factories, earning their esteem. That emphasized Toyota's philosophy that the workplace, or "genba," is valued as being essential for morale, effective production, innovation, and quality. Toyota has modest origins. Sakichi Toyoda, the grandfather of Shoichiro Toyoda, created the automatic loom in a shed out back mostly to assist his mother, who frequently wove in their home.

When Kiichiro Toyoda declared he wanted to start manufacturing vehicles in 1933, people were dubious. Japan at the time only offered imported vehicles like GMs and Fords.

The "Toyota Way," a production strategy that gives each employee the ability to regulate quality, is currently thought to be the best in the car sector. One of the top automakers in the world in terms of car sales is Toyota, which creates the Prius hybrid, Camry sedan, and Lexus luxury models.

For immediate relatives, Shoichiro Toyoda's funeral was held. According to a statement from Toyota, a "farewell" celebration in his honor was scheduled for a later time.

Photos from Toyota

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