Shanghai, March 1 (Gasgoo.com) Toyota Motor Corp President and CEO Akio Toyoda sought to ease quality concerns during a low-key visit to Beijing today. He flew directly from the U.S. to China to meet with government officials and local reporters, Reuters reported.
A Toyota spokesman said Toyoda was in China to discuss quality and safety issues concerning Toyota vehicles. The low-key visit to China, with little advance notice and limited public appearances, contrasted with Toyoda's high-profile showing last week before the U.S. Congress, where Toyoda was grilled by U.S. lawmakers.
"He's making this trip because China has become the biggest auto market, in which Toyota underperformed last year, from low-end products to high-end ones, such as Lexus," said an analyst. "If Toyota loses China, its global position would be challenged."
Toyota, making vehicles locally with FAW Group and Guangzhou Auto, has lagged rivals including General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford Motor in taking advantage of a boom in China's auto market that has been driven in part by government subsidies.
Last week, an official from China's quality regulatory body said problems with the accelerator pedals or brake systems may have affected more Toyota vehicles in China, beyond the 75,552 SUVs that were already recalled starting yesterday.
Toyota is recalling around 8.1 million vehicles globally, including the RAV4 vehicles in China, because of a gas pedal flaw. The Japanese auto giant has also issued a recall of its hybrid vehicles due to braking system problems.
