'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Toyota set up a new leadership team Thursday in what the Japanese automaker said was a move to stay abreast of social changes like electrification and becoming a wider "mobility company."
Chief Executive and President Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, will become chairman. He was prominent in the announcement and appeared to be still very much in control. He has been stressing the concept of "mobility," which reflects his view that people may opt for various ways to get around, other than owning cars.
Chief branding officer Koji Sato, who has been managing the Lexus luxury division and Toyota motor racing, becomes Toyota's president and CEO.
"I am going to give it my all," Sato said. "The new team will lead the shift in the transition to a mobility company to provide the freedom of mobility to all people."
Sato, 53, appeared in an online news conference with Toyoda and Takeshi Uchiyamada, who is seen as the "father" of the Prius hybrid model and is giving up the title of chairman.
The appointments still need shareholders' approval, scheduled for the next general meeting. Toyoda said Uchiyamada's decision to quit as chairman propelled him to take that job and give up the presidency.
Toyota Motor Corp. announced the leadership reshuffle without any forewarning, but it had a lively promotional video prepared to highlight Toyoda and Sato's love for electric vehicles and fast cars.
Toyoda, who took over as CEO of Toyota in 2009, and is an avid racer, has seen the company through various hard times, like the global financial crisis and the massive recall scandal in the U.S., over "unintended acceleration," in 2010, when he appeared before Congress.
Although Toyota is the top Japanese company in terms of market value, it has been criticized in recent years as falling behind in the industry's move toward electric vehicles amid a growing concern about climate change.
The handover appears to be the company's effort to give the leadership team a younger face, while maintaining the general vision and philosophy of the company, famed for founding "just in time" manufacturing and for quality products.
Like other automakers, Toyota has contended with a supply crunch in semiconductors and other parts, because of production snags caused by disruptions from the pandemic. The problem hurt Toyota, which also makes the Camry sedan and bZ4X electric car, because it could not keep up with customer demand.
Toyota has recently indicated it will be more aggressive about electric vehicles and has shown prototypes at events. Earlier it had said that a scarcity of charging stations might slow adoption of EVs. Most of the cars now on the roads are still not electric.
Toyoda had earlier hinted he was thinking about who might succeed him. He has also often spoken of his concerns about the future of the car industry.
Hisao Inoue, who has written books about Toyota, said its leadership is facing a lot of challenges, likely more daunting than what Toyoda faced as CEO, because the auto industry is undergoing a "once in a century transformation."
"A fundamental change is in order," he said.
Toyota, like other manufacturers, is saddled with higher prices because of recent inflationary pressures. It has scored such success with its Prius and other hybrids, which switch back and forth between an electric motor and gas engine, that it has tended to lag in pushing EVs, said Inoue.
Toyoda said he has made it through times "when there was no right answer," with sheer passion.
"We have managed to survive somehow," he said.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.