Akio Toyoda On Larry King: “I Am Not Confident To What Degree Our Sincerity Was Conveyed” To Congress
It hasn’t been the best of winters over at Toyota, where a massive recall effort is in effect to fix broken gas pedal issues that have left many drivers speeding on the road without brakes, some without their lives. The president of the company, Akio Toyoda, visited Congress to testify at their investigative hearings on the matter yesterday, and, having been criticized for not seeming remorseful enough by some in the media, took to Larry King Live to give the apology another shot.
Larry King focused on giving Toyoda a chance to open up about his feelings towards the loss of human life his company caused, something Toyoda appeared very nervous about getting the tone right about. “I am not confident to what degree our sincerity was conveyed,” he admitted to King through a translator, continuing to explain that he is working diligently with the dealers to remedy the problem as soon as possible. He added that he takes the mistrust in his company personally; “All the vehicles bear my name,” he said. “And if the people’s trust vis-a-vis the vehicles gets lessened, that is the same as to myself.” He gave yet another apology after being asked about comments that he did not appear remorseful enough, but did not challenge the claim so much as try to humbly debunk it through apology.
King mostly avoided the most controversial question about the hearing – whether Toyoda felt he was being treated fairly by the US government given their heavy investment in General Motors – though he did scratch the surface by asking whether he felt Congress was fair. Toyoda replied that he wasn’t sure, and continued to reach out directly to consumers, overlooking the press and government. In this situation, the “going public” strategy may be the only thing the company has going for it. If the head of the corporation refuses to hide and makes the commitment of being available to the press, he furthers the impression that he has nothing to hide and is willing to take the fall for the company’s mistakes.
Watch Toyoda’s apology and appeal to American sympathies below:
