Akio Toyoda is not your typical suit. Most automotive executives spend their days obsessing over quarterly spreadsheets and ESG scores in sterile glass towers. Akio? You’re more likely to find him in a fireproof racing suit, sweating through a helmet at the Nürburgring, or drifting a GR Yaris until the tires scream.
He is the grandson of Kiichiro Toyoda, the man who founded Toyota Motor Corporation. But don't let the lineage fool you into thinking he had an easy ride. When he took over as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda in 2009, the company was bleeding money. It was his first year, and the global financial crisis was hitting like a sledgehammer. Then came the "unintended acceleration" recall crisis that saw him hauled before the U.S. Congress, followed by the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.
Most people would have broken. Akio just got faster.
The Maverick Chairman Who Refused to Go All-Electric
Fast forward to 2026. While other car giants are stumbling through messy retreats from their "100% electric by 2030" promises, Toyota is sitting on record profits. Why? Because Akio Toyoda dug his heels in. He famously said that "carbon is the enemy, not the internal combustion engine."
He caught a lot of flak for that. Critics called him a luddite. They said Toyota was "falling behind" Tesla and Chinese EV makers. But Akio’s "Multi-Pathway" strategy was a bet on reality. He argued that the world wasn't ready for a total EV takeover due to charging infrastructure gaps and high costs. Instead, he pushed for a mix of:
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- Hybrids: Which are currently flying off dealer lots.
- Plug-in Hybrids: The bridge for people not ready to go full-volt.
- Hydrogen: A long-term play that includes both fuel cells and burning hydrogen in actual engines.
- BEVs: Only where they make sense for the customer.
Honestly, looking at the market today, he basically called it. Toyota’s hybrid-heavy lineup has become its "weapon" for CO2 reduction. In late 2025, Toyoda pointed out that the 27 million hybrids Toyota sold over the decades saved as much carbon as 9 million full EVs would have, all while using far fewer rare-earth minerals. It’s a pragmatic approach that saved the company from the "EV winter" currently freezing out some of its rivals.
Morizo: The CEO Who Moonlights as a Race Car Driver
You can’t talk about Akio without talking about Morizo. That’s his racing pseudonym. In the early 2000s, the board wouldn't let him race under the Toyota name. They thought it was too dangerous and, frankly, a bit "un-corporate."
So, he went rogue.
He teamed up with the legendary test driver Hiromu Naruse and entered the 24 Hours of Nürburgring as "Team Gazoo"—the name of a used-car website he’d worked on. They drove used Altezzas because they didn't have a budget. It was humiliating at first. They were being passed by European development teams in high-tech prototypes while they tinkered with discontinued sedans.
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That humiliation became the fuel for Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR). Akio vowed that Toyota would never make "boring cars" again. This wasn't just a marketing slogan; it changed the DNA of the cars we drive. The GR Supra, the GR86, and the bonkers GR Corolla only exist because the guy at the top is a certified "car nut" who knows what a good suspension feels like.
The Passing of the Torch to Koji Sato
In April 2023, Akio stepped down as CEO to become the Chairman of the Board, handing the keys to Koji Sato. Sato was the head of Lexus and Gazoo Racing—a guy who "loves making cars," whereas Akio "loves driving them."
Is Akio retired? Not even close.
As Chairman, he’s the "Master Driver" and the spiritual anchor. He’s still appearing at events like the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026, unveiling stuff like the GR Yaris MORIZO RR, a car literally tuned to his personal preferences. He’s also using his platform to talk about the future of the 5.5 million people in the Japanese auto industry. He worries that a forced transition to EVs will kill the "Monozukuri" (craftsmanship) that defines Japan.
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What Most People Get Wrong About His Legacy
The biggest misconception is that Akio Toyoda is "anti-EV." He isn't. He’s just "pro-choice." He understands that a farmer in rural Thailand or a commuter in a Texas suburb has different needs than a tech bro in San Francisco.
Under his leadership, Toyota became more than a car company. It became a "mobility company." He launched the Woven City project—a living laboratory for AI and autonomy—and founded the Toyota Research Institute. He’s looking 50 years ahead, not just to the next quarter.
Actionable Insights from the Akio Toyoda Playbook
If you’re looking to apply the "Akio Way" to your own business or career, here is how he actually operates:
- Genchi Genbutsu (Go and See): Don't rely on reports. Akio drives the prototypes himself. If you want to know if something works, get your hands dirty.
- Protect the "Soul" of the Product: He realized Toyota lost its way when it became too focused on volume. He brought back the "fun to drive" factor, which ironically led to even higher volumes.
- Be Okay with Being the Outlier: It takes guts to be the only CEO in the room saying "Wait, maybe EVs aren't the only answer." If your data contradicts the trend, trust your data.
- Legacy Over Ego: He stepped down when he felt a younger, more "digital-native" team was needed to handle the software-defined vehicle era, but he stayed close enough to ensure the culture didn't vanish.
Akio Toyoda’s tenure proved that a legacy brand can be disruptive. He turned a conservative, bureaucratic giant into a company that isn't afraid to race, isn't afraid to pivot, and isn't afraid to tell the world that the "obvious" path isn't always the right one.
To stay updated on Toyota's 2026 roadmap, you should monitor the progress of their solid-state battery testing and the rollout of the new software-led EV platform, which are the next big milestones for the company under the Sato-Toyoda partnership.