Akio Toyoda has received the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel for his lifetime achievements, an honour bestowed upon him by the publishing house Springer – one of the largest mass media publishers in Europe.
The Golden Steering Wheel was established in 1976 and is amongst the European automotive industry’s most revered awards. Those most prized are the honorary awards (established in 1983) to key industry figures that have made a significant contribution to the automotive industry.
Akio Toyoda became President of Toyota Motor Corporation in 2009 amid difficult market conditions and challenging times for the company. During the following years the financial and business results significantly improved in key markets, including Europe. In 2023, Akio Toyoda became Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, and many of his strategies endure. For instance, the key philosophies of ‘Mobility For All’ and ‘Leave No One Behind’ continue to form the basis of Toyota’s direction and success.
In making the announcement, the jury recognised Akio Toyoda’s unique capability by highlighting the “Golden Steering Wheel for the Driver”, a clever play on words that not only recognises Akio Toyoda’s ability to guide the Toyota organisation but also highlights his role as a passionate car enthusiast and Master Driver.
Referring to the Nürburgring as playing a very special role in his personal development, Akio Toyoda fondly recalls the challenge given to him by his mentor Hiromu Naruse:
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Somebody in your position, who doesn’t know the first thing about driving, should not make passing comments about cars. The least you can do is learn how to drive.
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Receiving this direct challenge motivated Akio Toyoda to steadily improve and refine his driving capability under the direction and guidance of Hiromu Naruse. Later he took on the persona of ‘Morizo’ to compete many times at the Nürburgring, including in the famous 24 hours race and is now recognised as Master Driver for both Toyota and Lexus.
Robin Hornig, Editor-in-Chief, Auto Bild explained the recognition of Akio Toyoda by saying:
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He is one of the most influential personalities in the international automotive industry and at the same time one of the most passionate. He stands like no other for the combination of tradition, technology and genuine enthusiasm for driving.
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Receiving the award is a very special moment for Akio Toyoda:
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It is a tremendous honour to be given a lifetime achievement award .... I feel like I’m back at high school and I just got asked to hang out with the cool kids; that’s how big a deal this is to me!
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But there was also a serious note when Akio Toyoda took the opportunity to call for increased levels of collaboration as the industry tackles a once in a lifetime period of change:
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I think we can all agree that this is a challenging time for our industry, and I believe we need to reach out to each other and work together now more than ever. I believe we have a responsibility to use our collective resources to help make people’s lives better.
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Akio Toyoda closed his acceptance speech by thanking the jury and Toyota teams and customers for the award:
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I’m deeply humbled to receive this award, and I wanted to thank Mattias Döpfner, the organisers and the jury for recognising not just the cars that we build but the dedication and passion that I share with the 383,000 members of the Toyota team around the world. And finally, I would like to thank our customers; they’re the ones that truly inspire us and without them I wouldn’t be standing here today.
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Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR (Gazoo Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs over 26,000 people and has invested over EUR 12 billion in Europe since 1990. Its eight European manufacturing plants are located in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey. Today, there are approximately 14.7 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,800 retail sales outlets in 53 countries (EU, UK, EFTA countries , Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries). In 2024, TME sold 1,217,132 vehicles in Europe for a 7.1% market share. For more information, visit www.toyota-europe.com.
Toyota believes that when people are free to move, anything is possible. In the pursuit of "Mobility for All", Toyota aims to create safer, more connected, inclusive and sustainable mobility to achieve its mission of producing “Happiness for All”. In Europe, TME launched the KINTO mobility brand which offers a range of mobility services in 20 countries, and is growing its business-to-business sales of zero-emission fuel cell products and engineering support. Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Toyota is working to achieve carbon neutrality in its entire business across Europe. A historic leader in CO2 reduction in Europe, TME aims to achieve 100% CO2 reduction in all new vehicles in Western Europe by 2035 and will continue to offer a full range of electrified powertrains to customers across the region with its hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles.
