Kenta Kon

President & CEO (Representative Director), Toyota Motor Corp

Search every verified Kenta Kon interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Kenta Kon, President and CEO of Toyota Motor, gave his first international media interview since taking office in April 2026, speaking with Automotive News in Tokyo. In the interview, Kon discussed his management approach, stating that his role is to make decisions and that taking responsibility requires acknowledgment from stakeholders. He emphasized Toyota's commitment to continuous improvement, or kaizen, and said he aims to work with dealers to identify and reduce waste across the company's operations, citing seat leather materials as an example of unnecessary complexity. Kon also described break-even volume as a key performance indicator, explaining that avoiding losses is important because a loss-making company must halt projects and shift focus. Kon addressed his background in finance and accounting, saying that while Toyota's core philosophy of making ever better cars and promoting mobility for all applies regardless of a leader's background, his perspective may bring a characteristic approach. He noted that he drives a GR Yaris as his personal car and discussed plans to enhance local production capacity in response to customer needs. The interview was conducted through an interpreter and covered topics including his management style, strategy for sustained profitability, and thoughts on American dealers.