--- title: Akio Toyoda · HICONIUM description: Akio Toyoda in the HICONIUM register — one file carrying their credit. canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/people/akio-toyoda image: https://hiconium.dev/og/people/akio-toyoda.png --- > HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`. > Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [People](https://hiconium.dev/people) › Akio Toyoda > On this page: [Evaluation, not a result](#evaluation-not-a-result) · [First in each prototype](#first-in-each-prototype) · [A 500-car condition](#a-500-car-condition) · [One file carries this name](#one-file-carries-this-name) ![Portrait photograph of Akio Toyoda.](https://hiconium.dev/_derived/images/people/akio-toyoda/portrait.jpg.w1920.q75.webp) People # Akio Toyoda Toyota chairman who helped green-light the Lexus LFA and raced as Morizo | Label | Value | | --- | --- | | Born | 1956 | | Nationality | Japanese | Wikimedia Commons The record Toyota chairman who, racing as Morizo, drove LFA prototypes, helped take the programme through the board and drove a development LF-A at the 2009 Nürburgring 24 Hours. Toyoda was born on 3 May 1956, the eldest son of Shoichiro Toyoda and grandson of founder Kiichiro Toyoda. He graduated in law from Keio University in 1979 and took an MBA at Babson College in 1982. He joined Toyota Motor Corporation in April 1984 and was first posted to Motomachi. In April 1998 he became an executive vice president and board member at NUMMI in California. He returned in January 2000 as Gazoo Division chief and joined the TMC board that June. Hiromu Naruse, Toyota's master test driver, trained him at the Nürburgring in a fourth-generation Supra whose production ended in 2002. In 2007, then executive vice president, he entered the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with colleagues as Team GAZOO in used Altezza RS200s. The outing was not an official company activity, so the team could not use the Toyota name; he raced as Morizo after his intention to drive failed to gain much understanding. The team finished. Other makers were already running cars still under development. Naruse brought him onto the LFA team in 2002 to help influence top management; with his help the board green-lit the team's proposals. Chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi had him drive each prototype first, beginning with the June 2003 car. A disguised prototype first lapped the Nordschleife in October 2004. Toyota later recorded that development was permitted only on condition that 500 cars would be sold. He became executive vice president in June 2005 and president in June 2009. He joined the GAZOO Racing LF-A crew at the 2009 24 Hours of Nürburgring as Morizo. One car finished fourth in SP8 and 87th overall; the other retired. Lexus launched the production LFA at Tokyo that October, limited to 500 cars built at Motomachi from December 2010 to December 2012. He attended the first car off the line. He became chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation in April 2023. TMC called him its current master driver in January 2026. ### Evaluation, not a result At the 2009 Nürburgring 24 Hours he said he was not there to race but to evaluate, placing himself between professional drivers and ordinary customers so Toyota and Lexus could make ever-better cars. ### First in each prototype Tanahashi made him the first driver of each LFA iteration, beginning with the June 2003 prototype. ### A 500-car condition Toyota recorded that the programme was permitted to proceed on the condition that only 500 cars would be sold, against internal argument that the car would not pay. The stations 1. 1984–1998 Toyota Motor Corporation First assigned to Motomachi; later production, marketing and product development 2. 1998–2000 New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) Executive vice president and board member 3. 2000–2005 Toyota Motor Corporation Director and Gazoo Division chief; later Asia and China operations, managing director, then senior managing director 4. 2005–2009 Toyota Motor Corporation Executive vice president and representative director 5. 2009–2023 Toyota Motor Corporation President 6. 2023– Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman of the Board of Directors (Representative Director) The house [![Lexus](https://hiconium.dev/images/marques/full/lexus.svg)](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/lexus) Credited through Toyota. In the register ## One file carries this name - [Lexus LFA Executive sponsor and development driver · Toyota 2010–2012 €1.2M 2010–2012 €1.2M Rating 92.0](https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/lexus/lfa) The files above are the register's own record of this name. [The people index](https://hiconium.dev/people) holds everyone the register credits. In their words > “I'm not in this to race, but am driving the car as part of our evaluation. By inserting myself between professional racing drivers and general customers, I hope to help Toyota and Lexus make ever-better cars.” Akio Toyoda · TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, 2015 Sources - [global.toyota](https://global.toyota/en/company/profile/executives/akio_toyoda.html) - [pressroom.toyota.com](https://pressroom.toyota.com/biographies/akio-toyoda/) - [global.toyota](https://global.toyota/jp/company/profile/executives/akio_toyoda.html) - [toyotagazooracing.com](https://toyotagazooracing.com/nurburgring/contents/story/chapter6/) - [toyotagazooracing.com](https://toyotagazooracing.com/nurburgring/contents/story/chapter4/) - [toyotatimes.jp](https://toyotatimes.jp/en/spotlights/14_year_trajectory/001_1.html) - [newsroom.lexus.eu](https://newsroom.lexus.eu/lexus-lfa-timeline-redefining-the-japanese-supercar/) - [global.toyota](https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/43844942.html) - [global.toyota](https://global.toyota/en/detail/308263) - [toyotatimes.jp](https://toyotatimes.jp/en/toyota_news/1054.html) - [pressroom.toyota.com](https://pressroom.toyota.com/how-the-spirit-of-toyota-gazoo-racing-and-its-deep-link-to-toyotas-motorsports-history-are-helping-build-ever-better-cars/) - [toyotagazooracing.com](https://toyotagazooracing.com/archive/gr/detail/7584581) - [global.toyota](https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/44505572.html)