Shoichiro Toyoda Honored in Auto Hall of Fame

Akio Honors Father’s Legacy at Toyota.

The late Shoichiro Toyoda has just been inducted into Japan’s Automotive Hall of Fame. A commemoration event for the former honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. was held in Tokyo on 14th November to celebrate this special occasion. This year, Toyoda sadly passed away owing to heart failure, aged 97 years old.

The esteemed Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame recognizes and appreciates the efforts of those who have been integral in building the country’s auto sector. Further, the lauded institution proudly embraces anyone that has fostered a vibrant automotive atmosphere in Japan. It is justifiable to state Toyota’s celebrated productivity, with its incredible sales reaching a staggering 300 million cars worldwide, makes them worthy of reverential induction.

Shoichiro Toyoda was a prime mover in launching the Toyota brand into North America, a major region for the automotive company. He was also key in the advent of the Lexus marque around the world and undeniably contributed to the start of the hybridization movement through his work on the Toyota Prius.

Shoichiro Toyoda was inducted into the Toyota Motor Corporation for his hard work in “overcoming numerous managerial challenges to build Toyota Motor Corporation into a global company and helping turn Japan into the world’s foremost automotive superpower”, according to Toyota Times, the organization’s in-house magazine. His commitment to nurturing talent was also noted, as he believed that monozukuri, or the art of making things, was about developing people.

“Monozukuri” is a term that can be translated to “production” or “making things”. However, its broader significance encompasses the Japanese know-how and manufacturing practices. This concept is deeply engrained in the nation’s culture and has been used to create products of the highest quality.

At the induction ceremony, his son and the current Chairman, Akio Toyoda, spoke about his father’s legacy as a Toyota leader and engineer who was devoted to his craft. He noted that his father exemplified Kaizen, which roughly translates to “continuous improvement,” always striving to create something even better. Akio Toyoda also remembered his late father as someone who embodied the dream, vision, and spirit of the company founder’s ambition to “make Japan a prosperous nation.”

Toyota has been pioneering in the arena of technology and looks to extend its forward-thinking outlook if its newest solid-state batteries prove to be all that they promise.