Greetings from Morizo, also known as Akio!

First, let me thank all of our customers for your patronage of our vehicles, as well as those whose efforts bring a smile to our customers’ faces at our sales outlets, the support of our suppliers, and the hard work done by our own team members. Starting from our shareholders, Toyota is supported daily by all of our stakeholders, and it is my sincere hope that all of us will be able to make 2020 a milestone year.

From today, we are launching this new English-language version of Toyota Times.

Originally started in Japan from January 2019, Toyota Times is a Toyota-owned media channel that aims to provide a unique view of all things Toyota from an inside perspective. We hope to openly convey the way Toyota is, the way I am, and the types of interactions we have with our many partners to those friends working together with us on a future mobility society as much as possible.

So, why are we starting this Toyota Times site? It is because I feel that sometimes “if you don’t tell the real story from your own perspective, the meaning or significance of the story may not truly be felt.” Toyota is a global organization that sells more than 10 million new vehicles in a single year. We are now working to become, transform into a mobility company. The action that Toyota is taking may be hard to understand by those outside the company; it may even be difficult to understand for those within the company.

The automotive industry is a giant team. However, there is a need to transcend the industries of software, technology, and even consider new services. To do so, those of us in the industry are increasingly gaining new partners and friends. How is this impacting us at Toyota? What is our top management thinking and what are they trying to accomplish? If we are not open about our action, including the “direction” that transcends facts or numbers only, then I believe it will be difficult to rally others to join our cause.

Toyota Times is a new open form of internal communication that has escaped the traditional closed boundaries of the internal newsletter or intranet to the world of open media using broadcast television and radio, newspapers, and the internet.

Our launch of the English version of Toyota Times aims to help all our friends, partners, team members, and others around the world understand our message. While we know there will still be challenges, we hope to bring those to the surface and find ways to continuously improve. We ask for your continued support as we continue to make our best effort to share information more openly through trial and error.

Akio Toyoda