Daihatsu announces leadership reshuffle following safety scandal
DAIHATSU Motor Co. Ltd, which has been embroiled in a safety test scandal since last year, has announced a new structure that will take over the company’s leadership effective March 1.
The new leadership structure will see Daihatsu’s current chairman, Sunao Matsubayashi, and its current president, Soichiro Okudaira, stepping down from their positions.
Matsubayashi will be replaced by Masahiro Inoue, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation in Latin America and the Caribbean, while Okudaira’s position will be taken over by Masanori Kuwata, the head of the Lexus International Co’s electrification promotion project.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Officer of Toyota Customer First Promotion, Keiko Yanagi, will replace Masahiro Yamamoto as a non-resident director of Daihatsu.
In a joint statement, Daihatsu and Toyota stated that they will implement comprehensive measures to prevent such manipulation from recurring and strive towards Daihatsu’s recovery.
“We would like to again offer our deepest apologies to our customers, suppliers, dealers, the communities in which our plants are located, and our many other stakeholders for the inconvenience and concern caused by the recent issue of certification irregularities.
“Although all plants of Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Daihatsu) in Japan suspended operations following our announcements made on December 20, we were able to resume production and shipments of some vehicles as of yesterday,” the company said.