Akio Toyoda in the Hall of Fame! Collaboration Over Competition & Future Hopes | Toyota Times News

📅 Oct 14, 2026 Toyota Times Global 23 MIN 132 VIEWS 26 SEGMENTS · 2 SPEAKERS

Akio Toyoda has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, which honors people who have made outstanding contributions to the auto industry. The ceremony took place in Detroit, Michigan, a city that once thrived as the world's auto capital. This is the place where Akio's grandfather, Kiichiro, decided to build cars in Japan, and where his father, Shoichiro, personally drove the first-generation Toyopet Crown. Honored in a place with deep ties to both the Toyoda family and Toyota, Akio spoke not of past achievements but of his hopes for the future of the auto industry. Find out what he wa...

What Akio Toyoda said

Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.

Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, delivered his induction speech at the 2026 Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit. He opened by revealing a test-driving accident two days prior, joking that the car was fine. Toyoda credited his grandfather Kiichiro, who visited Detroit and was inspired to create a car for Japan, and his father Shoichiro, who imported the Toyopet Crown to the US in 1957 and struggled with its performance on the I-94. He emphasized the principle of Kaizen, which led to competitive cars and global success. Toyoda stated that sales numbers were never his priority; what mattered was the happiness cars bring. He called the auto industry the coolest in the world and urged collaboration over competition, offering his hand in friendship and partnership to all in the industry.

Key takeaways

Toyoda called for the industry to focus less on competing and more on collaboration for positive impact.
He stated that how many cars Toyota sells has never been the most important thing to him; what matters is what cars mean to buyers.
He credited his grandfather Kiichiro and father Shoichiro for their roles in Toyota's history, including the 1957 Toyopet Crown import.

Numbers and commitments

Figure	What it refers to	Type	At
1957	Year his father Shoichiro arrived in Detroit with the Toyopet Crown	timeline	15:27
60 miles an hour	Top speed of the Toyopet Crown on the freeway	metric	16:11
nearly 400,000	Number of Toyota employees worldwide	metric	14:34

Chapters

0:00Induction and opening remarks
14:58Family history in Detroit
16:49Kaizen and Toyota's success
17:53Personal love for cars
18:19Challenges as president
18:51Cars as happiness
20:26Call for collaboration
21:47Closing thanks and promise

Akio Toyoda 0:00 ↗

Ready? Thank you. Coolest industry in the world. What if we focus a little less on competing and a little more on collaborations, on what we can do together to make a positive impact? I honestly want everyone in this room, everyone in this industry, to succeed.

2 more exchanges in this transcript

Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX

APA

Toyoda, A. (2026, October 14). Akio Toyoda in the Hall of Fame! Collaboration Over Competition & Future Hopes | Toyota Times News [Interview transcript]. Toyota Times Global. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3057738/

MLA

Akio Toyoda. "Akio Toyoda in the Hall of Fame! Collaboration Over Competition & Future Hopes | Toyota Times News." Toyota Times Global, 14 Oct. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3057738/.

BibTeX

@misc{toyoda2026_3057738,
  author       = {Akio Toyoda},
  title        = {Akio Toyoda in the Hall of Fame! Collaboration Over Competition \& Future Hopes | Toyota Times News},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, Toyota Times Global. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {oct},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3057738/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}

▶

Key Quotes (2)

“How many cars we sell has never been the most important thing to me. What matters most is what those cars mean to the people that buy them. You see, what we sell is happiness. Who in the world has ever been unhappy when taking delivery of a car? Cars are exciting, joyful, extraordinary things. In fact, without question, all of us in this room are incredibly lucky. Think about it. We get to be but ”

▶ 18:51

“As an industry, we face many uncertainties and many challenges in the days and years ahead. But we also have many opportunities. What if we focus a little less on competing and a little more on collaborations, on what we can do together to make a positive impact? I mean, wouldn't it be great if we could just all roll together, you know, like a Norwegian fans at the World Cup? Would you like to joi”

▶ 20:35

Mentioned in this interview

Toyopet Crown: First car Toyota imported to the US, struggled on the freeway.

Ford: His father parked the Crown in front of Ford headquarters.

Detroit: Compared to Hollywood for the auto industry, inspired his family.

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About Akio Toyoda

Akio Toyoda was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Detroit, Michigan, on October 14, 2026. In his acceptance speech, he reflected on his grandfather Kiichiro’s and father Shoichiro’s connections to the city, noting that Detroit holds deep significance for his family and Toyota. He also recounted a minor accident he had while test-driving an off-road vehicle two days before the ceremony. During the speech, Toyoda called for greater collaboration within the auto industry, saying he wants everyone in the industry to succeed and suggesting the sector focus less on competition and more on joint efforts to make a positive impact. Toyoda also appeared at the Super Taikyu Challenge in September 2026, where he watched driver Yuta Tomikawa compete in an endurance race. In comments about the series, Toyoda emphasized that it was created to lower barriers and broaden participation in motorsports. He advised drivers to prioritize safety, follow the rules, and be mindful of others on track, adding that finishing a race is difficult and should be an enjoyable experience.

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