Daihatsu: President and chairman resign, Toyota takes the wheel

Daihatsu: President and chairman resign, Toyota takes the wheel

It’s no secret that Daihatsu is facing a tough time right now. Over the course of a year, several procedural issues were uncovered. Some of these date back to the mid-‘00s, also affecting models that have since been discontinued.

A few months ago, we reckoned that ‘heads will roll’ in Daihatsu in light of the recent incidents. True enough, the company, along with Toyota, held a press conference stating that its current president and chairman have resigned.

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Daihatsu Chairman Sunao Matsubayashi and President Soichiro Okudaira will be stepping down from their posts effective March 1, 2024. The chairman has been abolished, and taking Okudaira’s place will be a long-time Toyota executive. Masahiro Inoue will take on the role as president of Daihatsu and lead its reform.

Incoming Daihatsu president, Masahiro Inoue

PHOTO BY Toyota

Inoue is currently the CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation Latin America & Caribbean. He has been with Toyota for 36 years, over 20 of which were dedicated to the Latin American market.

“It is my understanding that the growth of Daihatsu within the Toyota Group over the past ten years has been achieved by demonstrating various strengths cultivated over the long term. On the other hand, the quality and quantity of work that each site is responsible for should have increased in the process of this growth. I understand that these procedural irregularities occurred because we have not been able to take in the opinions and problems of each site and have instead continued to work while leaving issues unresolved,” said Inoue.

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Mother company Toyota will soon announce the measures it will implement for Daihatsu to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again. On top of that, the incoming president will also be visiting sites to talk to employees and get a real feel from the ground level.

“The measures to prevent recurrence mentioned by Toyota’s President Sato must be implemented thoroughly with the help of Toyota, where Daihatsu alone is not enough. In addition, I would like to work together with Daihatsu members to reform Daihatsu’s organization and culture, which are the cause of the procedural irregularities, and do my utmost to revitalize the company”, added Inoue.