The Accountant Who Wants to Protect Toyota’s DNA
When Toyotaappointed Kenta Kon as its new president, many people were skeptical. Unlike the usual suspects – engineers, racers, or car-crazy execs (that 7-cylinder Camry should ring a bell) – Kon’s a number cruncher. He’s a finance guy through and through.
So, with Kon showing up for the first time before shareholders, it was his first big moment. The annual meeting packed in over 9,000 people, and Kon didn’t dodge the elephant in the room. Instead of rolling out some grand new vision, he doubled down on Toyota’s old mantra: keep making ever-better cars.
Kon gave a nod to Akio Toyoda for drilling that mindset into the company over the last 17 years. He says workers learned what makes a car great by getting their hands dirty with Toyoda, both on the factory floor and out on the road.
Bringing Akio Toyoda’s Playbook Into the Future
Kon admits he’s an accountant, but he insists he’s not just glued to spreadsheets. He wants to spend time at the genba – Toyota-speak for the front lines – listening to the people who actually build the cars, figuring out what’s in their way, and helping them move forward.
Kon says he’s a car guy too, and he wants to keep asking what makes a car better – and then actually turn those ideas into something you can drive.
Kon’s not the only one banging this drum. Vice Chairman Koji Sato says Toyota is all about people who actually love cars. He points out that Akio Toyoda always cared more about the basics than about wild specs. Sato says solid engineering is what gives Toyota its staying power, and that’s still the game plan.
Sato also had a take on Kon’s style. Toyoda loves driving, Sato loves building, but Kon? He’s all about the people who make the cars happen.
Chairman Akio Toyoda also addressed the doubt about Kon’s financial background. He even joked about Kon’s earlier remark that he “loves money,” revealing that he had encouraged him to say it.
Toyoda says Kon isn’t just seeing numbers – he sees the sweat, ideas, and sacrifices behind every digit. That, he thinks, makes Kon the right guy to steer Toyota into whatever happens next.
Toyota
More Than Just Cars, But Still All About Cars
Kon says Toyota wants to be more than just a carmaker – it wants to be a mobility company, whatever that ends up meaning. For now, he says it’s about giving people more ways to get around, whether that’s on the road, on water, in the air, or even in space.
Kon shared a story from his days at Woven by Toyota. A colleague from Myanmar told him how getting around changed her life, opening doors she never thought possible. For Kon, that’s what Toyota’s really about: making life better by helping people move.
The most memorable moment? Near the end of his speech, Kon got choked up talking about his years with Akio Toyoda. He says there’s one question he always asks before making a big call: What would Akio Toyoda do?
If this first shareholders’ meeting is anything to go by, Toyota isn’t about to make any wild U-turns. Kon looks set on keeping the company’s DNA intact, even as he nudges Toyota into new territory. The mission: don’t forget what made Toyota great in the first place.
