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Toyota Chief Shifts Lieutenants, Wants 'Everyone in Charge'

Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Toyota Motor willreshuffle its top bosses and take the axe to its decision makingstructure, part of a move to put lower-ranked workers inday-to-day command as it seeks faster responses to marketchanges, the firm said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, sources told Reuters that President AkioToyoda intended to make the shift as the Japanese firm strivesto hold its rank as the world's biggest selling carmaker byfocusing on quality manufacturing, and bringing exciting newmodels to the showroom.

"It is healthy for decisions to be made by those close tothe products and the ground, and there is a limit to what I cando," Toyoda told reporters on Wednesday.

"As vehicle sales start growing again, my aim is to build agroup in which everyone is aware that they are in charge."

Executive vice presidents will take charge of three newbusiness teams covering developed markets, emerging markets,engines and transmissions, while Toyoda will personally overseethe luxury Lexus brand, which sells around 500,000 vehicles peryear.

Toyota named Takeshi Uchiyamada, who in the 1990sspearheaded the development of its bestselling Prius hybrid car,as chairman, replacing Fujio Cho.

It appointed Yasunari Ihara, a purchasing and corporateplanning expert, and Seiichi Sudo, who worked in productioncontrol and manufacturing, as new executive vice presidents,while three will step down.

The firm, which employs 320,000 people worldwide, alsobrought in board members from outside Toyota for the first time,including Mark Hogan, a former vice president of General MotorsCo .

The changes will take effect after an annual shareholders'meeting in June.

Toyoda, who took the top job at the firm in 2009, hadalready slashed the number of board directors to 13 from 27 andgiven more power to executives in key markets outside Japan.

That was partly in response to criticism that the companywas too slow in the face of a wave of safety-related recallsthat began soon after he became president.