We were fortunate to meet the charismatic Akio Toyoda at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. An energetic and very approachable man, this 2021 Tokyo Olympics was to be his showcase for a variety of new mobility vehicles. Sadly, the Olympics is hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding it.
Nonetheless, ninety-three international journalists on the World Car Awards jury panel have voted Toyoda, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, as the 2021 World Car Person of the Year.
Toyoda has spent the last few years successfully rejuvenating his company. Under his leadership, Toyota has remained profitable, despite the effects of Covid-19, thus protecting jobs worldwide.
He has maintained Toyota’s pace of steady development for the Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric era, all while actively participating in motorsports himself, as a driver.
“On behalf of 360,000 Toyota Team members around the world, thank you for this tremendous honor! However, I would like to change this award from car ‘person’ of the year, to car ‘people’ of the year, because it’s the collective effort of all our global employees, retailers and suppliers,” said Toyoda, while also thanking the contributions of the entire automotive industry.
“This has been a difficult period in the history of the world, but it has also reminded us that people are what matters most. If we at Toyota can contribute some measure of happiness to their lives, it will be my never-ending goal to do just that,” he further added.
There were five other finalists for the prestigious award, which was created in 2018 to acknowledge individuals who have made a significant contribution to the global automotive industry.
The other 2021 finalists were, Pratap Bose, Vice-President, Global Design, Tata Motors; Euisun Chung, Chairman, Hyundai Motor Group; Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer, Hyundai Motor Group; and Tomiko Takeuchi, Program Manager, MX-30, Mazda Motor Corporation.
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