Toyota leader Hiroshi Okuda dies at 93

Hiroshi Okuda, a former president and chairman of Toyota, has passed away at the age of 93. His death was reported as being due to natural causes.

During his 45-year career at Toyota, Okuda rose from an entry-level employee to one of the company's most influential leaders, serving as president and chairman between 1995 and 2006. He is widely recognized for his pivotal role in the development and launch of the Toyota Prius, the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger car, which entered the Japanese market in 1997.

Often referred to as the ‘father of the Prius,’ Okuda was noted for his determination to accelerate the hybrid project, pushing for production to begin a year earlier than originally scheduled. Beyond hybrid technology, his leadership was instrumental in Toyota's global expansion, overseeing increased production capacities in the United States and Europe and helping the company transition from a major Japanese player to a dominant global automotive manufacturer.