denso-exec-koji-kobayashi-join-toyotas-expanded-leadership

NAGOYA – Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will increase the number of its executive vice presidents to six from the current four, and tap Koji Kobayashi, vice chairman of affiliate Denso Corp., to fill one of the slots on Jan. 1. In a move to speed up efforts to adapt to the growing market for electric vehicles and advances in autonomous driving, the automaker will make the change three months earlier than usual. Personnel shifts are usually are made at the start of the fiscal year in April. Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, has focused on hybrid and fuel cell cars but has lagged behind rivals such as Nissan Motor Co. in offering EV models. In an attempt to catch up, Toyota teamed up with Denso and Mazda Motor Corp. in September to develop base technology for EVs through a new company.