Toyota Promotes Press to President of U.S. Sales; Seiichi Sean Sudo Named President and CEO of North American Manufacturing Division

Washington DC June 24, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that Toyota announced yesterday the promotion of Jim Press to president of its profitable U.S. sales unit, after joining the company in 1970 and serving as executive vice president and COO of Toyota Motor Sales USA since 2001.

According to Bloomberg, Press is the first-ever non-Japanese executive to hold the post. Yukitoshi Funo, who had served as president, now takes over as chairman of the U.S. sales unit and chief of Toyota operations in North and South America. “It’s not coincidental when Toyota is finally trumpeting its presence in American culture, claiming to be as American as any of its competitors, an American gets this job,’’ said Jim Sanfilippo, executive vice president of Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc. in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

“This is emblematic of all that’s been going on at the company.” Press is highly recognized as among those who helped shape Toyota’s U.S. product strategy for much of the past decade, encouraging an expansion in the automaker’s SUV and pickup truck line-up in order to attract more U.S. buyers. According to Bloomberg, Toyota’s U.S. business contributes as much as 70 percent of the automaker’s operating profit. In a separate announcement, Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TMMNA) named Toyota managing officer, Seiichi "Sean" Sudo president and CEO, succeeding Atsushi "Art" Niimi, effective June 27. "I have been fortunate to be president of our North American manufacturing operations during such a time of rapid growth," said Mr. Niimi, who will return to Japan as senior managing director of TMC. "I am confident that Seiichi Sudo will be an excellent leader to manage this growth while continuing to improve our vehicle quality."

Sudo joined Toyota in 1974, working his way up to general manager of the Project Planning & Management Department of the Production Control Division by 1998. In 2001, Sudo became vice president at TMMNA responsible for production control and corporate strategy.