By Sakura Murakami

TOKYO (Reuters) – Koji Sato, who was named on Thursday as the longer term CEO of Japan’s high automaker Toyota Motor (NYSE:) Corp, is an engineer with a background in diesel engines who might be tasked with navigating the corporate’s shift to scrub power.

At present the CEO of Toyota’s luxurious model Lexus, Sato will succeed Akio Toyoda because the CEO of Toyota on April 1.

Below Toyoda, the automaker has adopted a go-slow strategy to electrical automobiles, arguing that the hybrid know-how it pioneered with the Prius will stay vital together with investments in hydrogen.

Sato studied diesel engine combustion at college and joined Toyota in hopes of “contributing to society by creating the way forward for diesel engines”, in response to an interview on the web site of Gazoo, Toyota’s motorsport model.

Though the 53-year-old oversaw the creation of Lexus’s first totally electrical mannequin, he has additionally spoken of conserving different choices for powering automobiles open.

He spoke of the potential of hydrogen final 12 months in Thailand, the place Toyoda himself drove a hydrogen-powered Toyota race automobile at an endurance race, in response to the every day Yomiuri.

“It will not be an instantaneous substitution for electrical automobiles, but it surely’s good for folks to know that there are different choices accessible, when the rise of EVs ultimately plateaus,” Sato stated of hydrogen-powered automobiles within the report.

Sato began his profession at Toyota in 1992, earlier than rising by means of the ranks to change into chief engineer of Lexus Worldwide in 2016, in response to his profile on the Toyota web site.

He has held positions because the president of Lexus Worldwide and Gazoo Racing Firm since 2020. He additionally took on an government function at Toyota and have become its chief branding officer in January 2021.

“The business itself is dealing with a once-in-a-century disruption, with many unknowns to navigate,” stated John Shook, a former Toyota supervisor who now consults on the lean administration strategies pioneered by the corporate. “I can think about that Akio thought now could be the time to transition so his successor can steer the ship by means of the uncertainty forward.”

In his spare time, Sato enjoys visiting temples in Kyoto and practises Japanese tea ceremonies, in response to a profile on the Gazoo web site. He drives a Toyota Supra that was handed down from his father-in-law, the profile stated.

One of many essential causes Sato was elected as a successor was his love of making automobiles, Toyoda stated in the course of the official announcement which was broadcast on-line.

That zeal was apparent in a short video clip launched in 2021, the place Sato sits subsequent to Toyoda as they test-drive a Toyota Lexus. As Toyoda accelerates and whoops excitedly, Sato might be seen with a large grin and infrequently laughing, unable to include his delight.