- Title: JAPAN: Toyota president calls on staff to rebuild trust.
- Date: 6th March 2010
- Summary: TOYOTA CITY, JAPAN (MARCH 5, 2010) (REUTERS) TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS BUILDING JAPANESE FLAG AND TOYOTA FLAG WAVING IN WIND SIGN THAT READS "TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION TOYOTA EMPLOYEES GATHERED IN TOYOTA EMPLOYEES STANDING TOYOTA CEO AKIO TOYODA AND OTHER TOYOTA OFFICIALS WALKING ONTO STAGE TOYOTA EMPLOYEES APPLAUDING TOYODA BOWING AND WALKING UP TO PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) AKIO TOYODA, CEO OF TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, SAYING "There was a language barrier, and I'm not sure how much I was able to get across. However, more than just words, what I wanted to convey to customers was that thanks to everyone's efforts to solve this problem, Toyota has changed." TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA COO YOSHIMI INABA AND TOYOTA TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA COO JIM LENTZ AND TOYOTA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT SHINICHI SASAKI STANDING ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) AKIO TOYODA, CEO OF TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, SAYING "I had a chance to meet with dealers and team members who came to support me. I thought at the time that I was fighting to protect them. What I realized though was that I was protected by them. I felt proud to be a member of Toyota." EMPLOYEES LISTENING TO SPEECHES (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) AKIO TOYODA, CEO OF TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, SAYING "I ask everyone to help build, step by step, a Toyota that is both trusted and respected. I believe that if us, we can do this." MORE OF EMPLOYEES LISTENING TO SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (English) JIM LENTZ, TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA COO, SAYING: "I believe that members of congress were pleased that we appeared. Especially that Toyoda-san and Sasaki-san traveled all the way from Japan to attend the hearings." EMPLOYEES APPLAUDING
- Embargoed: 21st March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Industry
- Reuters ID: LVACFB8SR6KSY5TWAB1DEBY2DZFL
- Story Text: Toyota CEO calls on staff to rebuild trust and says that Toyota has changed.
Returning from a grilling by the United States Congress, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda encouraged staff to rebuild consumer trust and asked employees to help build a new Toyota on Friday (March 5) at the company's headquarters in Toyota city.
Attended by approximately 2,000 Toyota employees and broadcasted to an additional 7,000 employees, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda told those gathered what he had hoped to accomplish during the hearings over Toyota's recall problems.
"There was a language barrier, and I'm not sure how much I was able to get across. However, more than just words, what I wanted to convey to customers was that thanks to everyone's efforts to solve this problem, Toyota has changed," Toyoda told the employees who had gathered.
Toyoda also talked about the support he received while in the U.S., at one point choking up while talking about the meeting with U.S. dealers.
"I had a chance to meet with dealers and team members who came to support me. I thought at the time that I was fighting to protect them. What I realized though was that I was protected by them. I felt proud to be a member of Toyota," Toyoda said while fighting back tears.
Faced with one of the largest crises in the company's history, Toyoda said that he believed that it would have to be a gradual process to rebuild Toyota's reputation for quality.
"I ask everyone to help build, step by step, a Toyota that is both trusted and respected. I believe that if us, we can do this." Toyoda said.
Also in attendance, Toyota Motor Sales COO Jim Lentz, expressed his belief that Toyoda's final decision to go and testify before the U.S. congress showed that Toyota was sincerely concerned about the problems it has been facing.
"I believe that members of congress were pleased that we appeared. Especially that Toyoda-san and Sasaki-san traveled all the way from Japan to attend the hearings," Lentz told those gathered.
Toyota said this week that it had fixed more than 1 million of the more than 6 million cars and trucks subject to recalls in October 2009 and January 2010. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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