UMW Toyota Motor welcomes Takashi Obata as new Deputy Chairman



UMW Toyota Motor has announced the appointment of Takashi Obata as its new Deputy Chairman, who assumed the position on 1 February 2022. Obata will be replacing Akio Takeyama, who previously held the position for seven years.

Takashi Obata brings with him 30 years of experience in Toyota Motor Corporation, involved as a key member in the company’s product planning operations for the global market. with UMW Toyota, Obata is committed to driving the company towards adapting to CASE (connected, autonomous, shared, electric) and carbon neutrality.

“This is a priority that is aggressively being pursued by Toyota globally and has already started in Malaysia with the recent launch of the Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid model,” said Takashi Obata. “I am honoured to have been entrusted this role to navigate the Toyota business here in Malaysia towards this direction.”

“I would like to thank my predecessor Akio Takeyama for leaving behind an incredible legacy during his time with UMW Toyota Motor. This role will undoubtedly be a challenging one but I am confident that we will be able to achieve many more milestones in the years to come, especially with the strong support from the Government of Malaysia and all our stakeholders,” he added.

Akio Takeyama

Under the leadership of Akio Takeyama, UMW Toyota Motor has achieved many significant milestones, including the launch of the state-of-the-art Bukit Raja manufacturing plant, now recognised as the “No. 1 quality and productivity Toyota plant in Asia”; the introduction of Gazoo Racing, both the cars and the racing series; as well as reclaiming the title of the best-selling non-national brand in Malaysia just last year after six years of playing second fiddle.

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“I have been very blessed to have been given the privilege to serve in Malaysia over two tenures. Throughout my two assignments in Malaysia totalling 12 years, I had two key phrases I always kept in mind: ‘Reborn’ and ‘Change & Challenge’. My time here in Malaysia was spent in pursuit of ever-better cars and the best customer services while continuously contributing to the Malaysian automobile industry,” reflected Takeyama.

“The years I have spent in this beautiful country were truly wonderful and exciting, filled with so many significant events, milestones, challenges and accomplishments. These accomplishments would not have been possible without the strong support from my team and all our stakeholders,” he added.

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