SAD: Toyota ex-chief Okuda, pioneer of the Prius, dead at 93

The visionary former head of Toyota who helped turn the Japanese company into the world’s biggest carmaker, Hiroshi Okuda, has reportedly died.

The company confirmed his death on Wednesday, though further details surrounding his passing were not immediately disclosed.

Okuda passed away at the age of 93.

Okuda is widely remembered as the man who took a big risk on future technology by pushing for the production of the Toyota Prius, the world’s very first mass-produced hybrid car that runs on both petrol and electricity.

Okuda took control of Toyota in 1995 at a time when the company was struggling. He made history by becoming the first person outside Toyota’s founding family to lead the business in several decades.

Before he took charge, many people saw Toyota as a slow and overly cautious company. Okuda changed that narrative completely. Under his bold leadership, Toyota launched popular models like the RAV4 SUV and the revolutionary Prius.

At the time the Prius was introduced, many experts believed that electric and hybrid cars were just a pipe dream that would never succeed in the real market.

Today, hybrid vehicles have become extremely popular across the globe, especially among drivers looking for cheaper alternatives to expensive pure electric cars and rising petrol prices.

Under Okuda’s direction, Toyota expanded aggressively across the globe by opening new factories in many foreign countries.

This massive expansion drive eventually helped Toyota overtake America’s General Motors to become the world’s largest carmaker by sales volume.

Beyond the boardroom, Okuda was known as a fearless and outspoken leader. He held a black belt in karate and served for years as a top adviser to the Japanese government.

He also served as the head of Keidanren, Japan’s most powerful business group.

His bravery was demonstrated early in his career. In the early 1970s, while managing Toyota’s operations in the Philippines, Okuda reportedly trekked through a thick jungle to hold direct meetings with leftist guerrilla fighters.

Speaking about his transformation of the company, Okuda told The New York Times in a 1998 interview: “Everyone is different. But what I can say about Toyota is that before I became president, the company was considered to be very conservative, so I have tried to make us more aggressive.”

That aggressive, forward-looking mindset is believed to have helped redefine how people drive around the world today.