Just yesterday, Toyota Motor Company’s president Akio Toyoda (yep, the grandson of the company’s founder) indicated that he had no intention of attending a February 24 Congressional hearing before the House Oversight Committee. Instead, Toyoda said that Yoshimi Inaba, president of Toyota’s operations in North America, will appear on behalf of of the automaker.

When pressed further, though, the New York Times reports that Toyoda said he would consider attending if he received a formal invitation, none of which had been extended. Well now, that little oversight has since been corrected. Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-NY) has sent a letter – the text of which you’ll find pasted after the break – formally inviting Toyoda to attend the upcoming Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public At Risk? hearing.

Oh, and Toyoda should also feel free to submit “written testimony for the record, of any reasonable length,” and to “be prepared to provide a five minute opening statement and answer questions posed by Members of the Committee.” Sounds like a nifty little shindig, we’ll be waiting for our own formal invitations in the mail. We’ll bring the popcorn.

UPDATE: According to a statement released tonight, Akio Toyoda will testify before Congress next week, saying “I look forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people.” Full statement after the jump.

[Source: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Image: Junko Kimura/Getty]

Continue reading Toyoda officially invited to attend House Oversight Commitee meeting on Toyota safety – UPDATE: Guess who’s coming to D.C.?

Toyoda officially invited to attend House Oversight Commitee meeting on Toyota safety – UPDATE: Guess who’s coming to D.C.? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a press conference on Wednesday in Tokyo, Toyota Motor Company’s president Akio Toyoda (grandson of the company’s founder) revealed new details of his plan to reform the automaker’s quality standards. Toyota has been beset by a trio of high-profile recalls, two of which involve unintended acceleration caused by either floormats or a sticking accelerator pedal and another having to do with the brakes on the 2010 Prius hybrid.

In addition to heading up what’s being called a Special Committee for Global Quality, Toyoda remarked that his company will also establish a “chief quality officer” for each geographical region in which the company’s vehicles are sold. Those officers will each have a seat on the committee led by Toyoda, which holds its first meeting March 30. New local technical offices will also be opened to help better investigate customer complaints, the goal reportedly being to have an on-site inspector there within 24 hours after a complaint is made.

In addition, Toyoda reaffirmed the automaker’s commitment to outfit all of its vehicles with a brake-override system. This system would prevent acceleration if the gas and brake pedals were applied at the same time. Finally, the Japanese automaker also plans to make better use of onboard data event recorders in its vehicles. Like the black box in an airplane, these devices record critical data the seconds before an accident happens.

His third time speaking to the press in less than two months, Toyoda also confirmed that he would not be attending a February 24 Congressional hearing before the House Oversight Committee. Instead, Yoshimi Inaba, president of Toyota’s operations in North America, will appear on behalf of Toyota to answer the U.S. government’s questions. This will be the second of four Congressional hearings related to Toyota’s recent recalls, and while Toyoda does not plan to attend any himself, he is planning a trip to the U.S. to speak directly with workers, dealers and suppliers.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req. | Image: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty]

Akio Toyoda outlines quality reform, won’t attend U.S. hearings originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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