Daihatsu's New Leader Promotes Change via Dialogue and Empathy
Daihatsu, the Japanese automobile manufacturer, has announced a new leadership team and strategic plans to revitalize the company following recent certification issues.
At the heart of the new leadership is Masahiro Inoue, currently heading Toyota's operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, who will become the new president of Daihatsu Motor, effective from March 1. Inoue, who has a history of implementing structural reform in Toyota's Latin American business, is expected to lead the revitalization of Daihatsu as the person responsible for on-site management.
The new leadership team has been put together with the idea of rebuilding Daihatsu from the ground up. Sunao Matsubayashi and Soichiro Okudaira, the current chairman and president of Daihatsu respectively, will resign from their posts. Masanori Kuwata, vice president of Toyota Motor Kyushu and a former head of human resources at Toyota, will join Daihatsu as a new member.
The new leadership's mission includes resolving communication issues between Toyota and Daihatsu, as well as between Daihatsu's management and genba (frontline members). They have also emphasized their commitment to preventing recurrence of issues.
In terms of strategy, Daihatsu will focus its operations on minivehicles. To improve product quality, the company will integrate with Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA), which will improve driving performance, product appeal, and cost efficiency, supporting the rollout of competitively priced models worldwide.
The new leadership has also pledged to optimize its product offerings to meet specific regional demands, a strategy in line with Toyota Group’s existing region-based business system. This approach aims to provide affordable, high-quality vehicles that fit regional customer needs.
Daihatsu will outsource its overseas business for planning, development, and production from Toyota. The company will also withdraw from Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies (CJPT) to prioritize preventing issues' recurrence. CJPT is a partnership established by Toyota, Hino, Isuzu, Suzuki, and Daihatsu, aiming to accelerate the rollout of CASE technologies.
The new leadership reported measures to prevent issues to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on February 9. The new team's plans for revitalizing Daihatsu will be examined by taking a closer look at the press conference Q&A session.
This new direction for Daihatsu reflects the company’s aim to make a “fresh start” by addressing past setbacks, enhancing product quality, and leveraging Toyota Group synergies to regain market confidence and competitive positioning in the coming years.
- Masahiro Inoue, who will lead Daihatsu as the new president, is known for his ability to implement structural reform in various industries, particularly in the automotive sector of Toyota.
- Daihatsu plans to revitalize its business by resolving existing communication issues, focusing its operations solely on minivehicles, and integrating with Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA) to improve product quality.
- The new leadership team at Daihatsu has also vowed to optimize product offerings for specific regional demands, mirroring Toyota Group’s existing region-based business system, and to leverage synergies within the group to regain market confidence and competitive positioning in the future.
