The son of Toyota Motor¡¯s chairman is about to take a big step on a path that may lead him to the top of the world¡¯s largest carmaker.
Daisuke Toyoda, great-grandson of the founder, will be appointed to a role at the company¡¯s hallowed Motomachi factory, according to a person with knowledge of the plans. Not only is it one of Toyota¡¯s oldest plants, it¡¯s where his father, Akio Toyoda, learned the company¡¯s manufacturing philosophy during his formative years.
The 38-year-old scion will make the transition after spending eight years at Woven, a Toyota outpost working on new technologies. Daisuke¡¯s move is as symbolic as it is strategic: the factory near Toyota¡¯s headquarters opened in 1959 as a passenger-car assembly plant and has served as a proving ground for new production ideas and engineering showcases such as the Lexus LFA.
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