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Former Toyota president Hiroshi Okuda, who helped turn the Japanese automaker into a global giant and championed the pioneering Prius hybrid, has died at age 93.
The company confirmed the news on Wednesday.
Okuda took over as Toyota’s president in 1995, becoming the first person outside the founding family to lead the company in decades.
During his tenure, he pushed the development of major models including the RAV4 and Prius, with the latter becoming the world’s first mass-produced petrol-electric hybrid.
At the time, electric vehicles were still considered unlikely to become a major part of the global car market.
The Prius later helped establish hybrid vehicles as a major alternative to traditional petrol cars.
Okuda also oversaw Toyota’s expansion overseas, including the opening of factories in several countries.
The company eventually overtook General Motors to become the world’s largest automaker by vehicle sales.
Okuda, known for his outspoken personality, also served as chairman of Keidanren, Japan’s largest business lobby, and was a longtime adviser to the government.
Before becoming Toyota’s president, Okuda led the company’s operations in the Philippines in the early 1970s.
Bloomberg News reported that he once crossed a jungle to meet leftist guerrillas during that period.
Speaking to the New York Times in 1998, Okuda said Toyota had been viewed as a conservative company before his presidency.
“Everyone is different. But what I can say about Toyota is that before I became president, the company was considered to be very conservative, so I have tried to make us more aggressive,” he said.
Toyota confirmed Okuda’s death to AFP on Wednesday but did not provide further details.
