Yoshimura appointed as new managing director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Masakazu Yoshimura would be the new Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) joint venture (JV) in India from January third week, said the global Japanese car maker on Friday.

"As part of the top management restructuring, Yoshimura will take over on January 22, 2019 as the Managing Director from incumbent Akito Tachibana, who is being repatriated to the parent firm," said the city-based JV in a statement here.

The Indian JV's board of directors will appoint Yoshimura at a meeting on January 22 at the Bidadi industrial area, about 40 km from the city centre.

Yoshimura will be responsible for Toyota's business operations in India, including its strategic direction.

"As a follower of Toyota's global best practices, Yoshimura will guide the joint venture's vision and values of quality, dependability and reliability," said the company in the statement.

Yoshimura has 25 years of experience in product planning, pricing, sales and marketing and is equipped to contribute to Toyota's brand in the region. He is currently General Manager at the company's East Asia and Oceania division in Tokyo.

"I am eager to work in the challenging Indian market. As customers are at the heart of everything, we will make efforts to enrich them," said Yoshimura in the statement.

Commenting on the leadership change, Tachibana said the company's vision 2025 enabled the subsidiary to grow in India.

"Tachibana steered Toyota's vision for India, leading to its overall growth through a strategic drive," said the statement.

The two-decades-old JV of Toyota Motor Corporation and the Pune-based Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, with the Japanese auto major holding over 90 per cent of the equity, has two assembly plants with 3-lakh units combined installed production capacity per annum.

The JV rolls out a range of models, including Innova multi-utility vehicle, Camry sedan, Prius hybrid, Corolla Altis, Etios, Prado and Land Cruiser, with some of them imported as completely built units.