Big news! Akio Toyoda is stepping down as Toyota CEO

Big news from Toyota, as Akio Toyoda has announced that he is stepping down as president and CEO, with the current Lexus and Gazoo Racing president Koji Sato set to take over the reins in April.

As the grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, you won’t be surprised to hear that Akio won’t be completely leaving the world’s biggest carmaker. Instead, he’ll take over as Chairman of the Board of Directors as Takeshi Uchiyamada resigns. 

(L-R Akio Toyoda / Koji Sato / Takeshi Uchiyamada)

Akio first joined the Toyota board in 2000 and was confirmed as the big boss in 2009. You’ll probably know that he’s well into his racing, having competed in a number of events including the Nurburgring 24 Hours under his pseudonym ‘Morizo’. Very cool.

Given that the new boss Koji Sato has been president of Gazoo Racing since September 2020 though, things still look good for the petrolheads among us. What do we think, Internet?