President Sato
Happy New Year to you all.
I am truly delighted to be able to welcome the new year in good health with all of you.
I will do my best to make sure this message speaks to the heart.
Last year, we began by reflecting on the meaning of the word “arigato” and by resolving to make it a year in which we value smiles and gratitude.
In December, as an opportunity to express gratitude to our colleagues and stakeholders around the world, we held TOYOTA ARIGATO FEST.2025.
“We should never take for granted what we have today.” “The future is ours to create together.”
Guided by Chairman Toyoda’s beliefs, Toyota united globally, sharing countless thank yous and smiles.
I was reminded of how grateful I am to have colleagues around the world who demonstrate being “Best in Town” and how important it is to turn our appreciation into action.
So, today, I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to all of you.
We faced many hardships over the past year.
Even so, to everyone across the company who worked so hard for our customers and for one another, thank you very much.
“Let’s focus on making and delivering quality cars.”
With that single goal in mind, I believe that we have all worked together to move forward, step by step.
In regards to certification work, all of us have continued striving to improve individual awareness and work processes so that we can stand at the starting line of consistently carrying out correct work.
With the many changes related to certification and quality, I believe that launching new cars was truly challenging.
We were able to launch new cars because everyone on the front lines kept things moving forward by working urgently until the very end.
Overseas, the competitive environment in many regions grew even more severe.
Even so, we remained committed to putting the customer first and repeatedly pursued better quality and services, from production to sales.
And then in September, our Porto Feliz Plant in Brazil was hit by a tornado. At that time, I truly felt the strength of our global Toyota team.
As soon as the news came in, teams in Japan and Indonesia immediately sprang into action to launch backup production. Across regions, they gave it their all to support their colleagues in Brazil.
I would like to thank everyone who rushed to Porto Feliz and worked with our suppliers to support the plant’s recovery and all those who are still working toward the resumption of local production.
The passion and actions of everyone on the front lines, as well as the hard work of our suppliers and dealers, enabled us to produce 9.94 million vehicles last year and deliver them to our customers.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude.
On the other hand, we still face many challenges.
Although last year’s production downtime was less than the year before, downtime due to quality or equipment issues is on the increase.
Customers continue to experience various inconveniences both in sales and services. For example, in Japan, the reality is that customers still cannot even enter into discussions to purchase the cars they want.
We must all keep making improvements together to properly make and deliver quality cars.