TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. has tapped Koji Sato, the head of Lexus and the Gazoo Racing unit, to be the Japanese automaker’s next president and CEO, as Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, steps up to be the company’s new chairman.
The changes take effect April 1.
As part of the shuffle, current Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, known as the father of the Prius for his work in developing the popular hybrid vehicle, will step aside as chairman but retain a seat on the board.