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Toyota Elevates CFO Kenta Kon to CEO as Sato Moves to Industry Role

The company seeks faster decision-making to protect margins against rising Chinese rivals.

Overview

  • Kenta Kon will succeed Koji Sato as chief executive on April 1, with Toyota framing the change as a move to tighten governance and profitability.
  • Koji Sato becomes Chief Industry Officer and vice-chair of the board, with a mandate to deepen external partnerships and industry coordination.
  • Toyota raised its full-year guidance alongside stronger results, including a higher revenue outlook of 50 trillion yen for the year ending March.
  • Shares in Tokyo rose about 2 percent after the announcements, extending a stock surge that began under Sato’s tenure.
  • Toyota said elevated U.S. tariffs pressured October–December profit even as 2025 U.S. sales grew and local output increased, estimating tariff costs at 1.45 trillion yen.