For the love of cars: Why Akio Toyoda's Philippine visit matters

Toyota Motor Philippines celebrated its 35th year in the country with a bang this past week. With Toyota Motor Corporation chair Akio Toyoda himself on hand to lead the festivities.  

It was a surreal moment personally seeing him with his outstretched arms, now an iconic pose for the 67-year-old when he made his speech. This man led the Toyota brand to number one status in the world. By combining his business insights with his innate passion for cars, Toyoda helped create a product lineup car buyers loved in the last 14 years of his presidency. His presence in Manila as TMP celebrated its 35th year in the country is a sign of the resounding approval of the local operation's efforts. 

TMP has cornered about 50% of the local car market. And the Philippines itself is ranked 10th in the world among Toyota’s most successful sales markets. Two significant milestones that even the company chair couldn’t ignore.

It wouldn't be complete without a product launch

After a visit earlier in the day to the Toyota Sta. Rosa, Laguna assembly plant where he met up with President Bongbong Marcos, the rock star of a chairman of the board, also took the opportunity to introduce the upcoming all-new Tamaraw to an assembly of government officials, dignitaries, company executives, partners, and the press at the 35th Anniversary gala.

If you remember, during his meeting with President Marcos Jr. in Japan last February, Toyoda broached the idea of bringing back the iconic Tamaraw nameplate to the country. Now, TMP will be ready to offer the new product by 2024. 

The Toyota IMV 0 concept was unveiled in Thailand last March. It is billeted to be an affordable multi-purpose vehicle in the true sense because the platform is slated to be an open canvas for coach developers to configure its rear end according to the owners’ needs.

Various iterations of the IMV 0 platform have been designed for specific markets. Thailand will be the first to see the launch of its version of the IMV 0 in 2024. While the Toyota Rangga Concept offered use case possibilities at the 30th GAIKINDO Indonesia International Auto Show. 

According to Toyota Motor Philippines executives, the Tamaraw Concept will have engineering tweaks explicitly done for the Philippine market. And since TMP itself has confirmed that the all-new Tamaraw will be manufactured in the country, local suppliers are being finalized for various vehicle components. 

During the presentation, Toyoda said that ₱ 4 billion will be poured in to upgrade, retool, and prepare the Sta. Rosa plant to accommodate the production of the Tamaraw by 2024. 

Tireless ambassador

After handing over the operational reigns of the company to new president and CEO Koji Sato last April, Toyoda still carries on with his role of representing the brand, and some would argue the Japanese car industry, as its most famous ambassador.

The day after the 35th Anniversary gala, Toyoda shifted to promoting the brand at the Toyota Gazoon Racing Festival. He took the wheel of a Toyota Yaris rally car and showed off his car control skills to an adoring public. He even offered shotgun rides to lucky patrons.

One would think that a former company president, CEO, and now board chairman wouldn’t have time to play around with cars. But this is Akio Toyoda, grandson of the car company's founder, the company that bears his name. Toyota makes cars. And Akio, more famously known as Morizo-san in racing circles, could only do the brand justice by being its number one promoter.

It is refreshing to see the leader of one’s company enjoying the products it makes and sells around the globe. That is a sign of success and, most likely, fulfillment in Toyoda’s mind. 

Despite the ongoing electric vehicle disruption, you have to hand it to Akio Toyoda for continuing to provide a pragmatic outlook for the car industry he helped shape in the last two decades. His firm belief in continuing with Internal Combustion Engine vehicle development may have put Toyota on the back foot of the emerging global EV trend. But maybe this stubbornness is born from all these decades of making cars that matter to the world. 

As we have seen during his visit to the Philippines, Akio Toyoda's passion for four wheels goes beyond the basic needs of mobility. Maybe, just maybe, for Akio Toyoda, it is pure love for the cars we grew up with right to the core.