Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
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.
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.