Jan. 30, 2014
Video: TMC President Akio Toyoda speech on Toyota Motorsports
Akio Toyoda’s Prepared Remarks at January 30 Motorsports Announcement
Welcome everyone and thank you for coming.
I’m Akio Toyoda.
Toyota’s motorsports history started in 1957 when a Toyota Crown completed the “Round Australia Rally”. It’s said the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Toyota to participate in the rally to promote international friendship and trade.
Then, in 1963 Japan first welcomed motorsports when it hosted the first Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit. At seven years old, it was also my first encounter with motorsports, as the Toyota Crown, Corona, and Publica won their respective races.
For this first Japanese Grand Prix, each automaker participated to a varying extent and for its own reasons. But, Toyota entered because its customers wanted it to.
At Toyota dealerships, people urged Toyota to participate. We said “yes” and began building new vehicles. Soon after, Toyota began to tune and test the vehicles that were then lent to private individuals to participate in the races.
Toyota’s beginnings in motorsports, within the context of a 60-year span, may seem a minor detail. Yet, I believe that these beginnings represent the mindset that underlies Toyota’s motorsports to this day.
We think that motorsports instills excitement and joy in consumers, fans, and communities around the world. By striving to improve participants’ skills and by refining our cars, our desire is to build and provide ever-better cars. Toyota’s motorsports participation is rooted in that desire, and it’s the solid focus of Toyota’s future involvement.
You might know about our motorsports activities following the 1960s: competing with both production and prototype sports cars; participation in the World Rally Championships; racing in North America; entry in Formula 1, and many others. Toyota’s involvement in motorsports has been ever-changing and evolving.
GAZOO Racing has helped Toyota transcend the traditional boundaries of an automaker by striving to create more and more car fans. Lexus Racing and Toyota Racing compete at the top level of motorsports. These three entities have their own story and activities, and perhaps it’s not easy to distinguish between them.
Besides being Toyota president, I am the founder of GAZOO Racing and a GAZOO Racing driver. I’m also chief branding officer and a master driver for Lexus.
So, today I want to make clear the roles of these entities and transfer the planning process and other functions for our motorsports activities to Toyota Motor Sales and Marketing, of which I am chairman. We are making these organizational improvements because now is the ideal time to prepare for Toyota motorsports to be “ReBORN”.
Last year, under my “Driver Morizo” persona, I went to the 24 hours Nürburgring with Toyota technicians and test drivers. The Nürburgring, with more than 200 corners and an altitude gain of 300 meters, is known as one of the world’s most demanding circuits. It can produce numerous problems in a car.
With limited time and equipment, in extreme conditions, our technicians learned to overcome issues with their combined knowledge and dedication: They developed considerably. Our drivers, too, developed considerably through repeated “dialogue” with their cars and the course.
As for myself, I’m certain the race triggered my sense for making ever-better cars. Certain things can only be experienced through such demanding activities. This can lead to great development in the personnel and the cars, which in turn undoubtedly leads to ever-better cars and ever-greater customer satisfaction.
In making ever-better cars, there is no finishing line or one correct solution. There are always different roads that can be taken.
However, we’ve only explored a fraction of the potential routes. I believe the more roads we drive and the more we experience, we’ll be better able to make better cars suited to more people.
Before he passed away in March 1952, Toyota’s founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, in his final work entitled “Auto-racing and the Japanese Automobile Industry”, wrote:
“Japan’s auto industry must succeed in building passenger vehicles. To this end, manufacturers must participate in auto-racing to test their vehicles’ durability and performance and display their utmost performance. With competition comes progress, as well as excitement among motoring fans. The aim of racing is not just to satisfy our curiosity, but rather to enable the development of the Japanese passenger vehicle industry.”
Toyota will continue to build the future of its motorsports activities based on its twin philosophies of “making ever-better cars” and “fostering more car-fans”. So long as opportunities exist, we shall continue to participate in motorsports.
We sincerely hope that you will continue to support us on our journey.
Thank you.