Takashi Obata To Replace Akio Takeyama As The New Deputy Chairman For UMW Toyota Motor

Takashi Obata has been appointed as the new deputy chairman of UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT). Obata, whose term begins on February 1, succeeds Akio Takeyama, who has held the position for more than seven years.

Obata has more than 30 years of experience with Toyota Motor Corporation, where he was in charge of global sales and product planning. He is committed to CASE (Connected cars, Autonomous driving, Shared, and Electric) and carbon neutrality with UMWT.

“This is a priority that is aggresively being pursued by Toyota globally and has already started in Malaysia with the recent launch of the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid. I am honoured to have been entrusted this role to navigate the business towards this direction,” he said.

“I would like to thank my predecessor Akio Takeyama for leaving behind an incredible legacy during his time with UMW Toyota Motor. This role will undoubtedly be a challenging one but I am confident that we will be able to achieve many more milestones in the years to come,” Obata added.

The company achieved many significant milestones under Takeyama's leadership, including the opening of its state-of-the-art Bukit Raja manufacturing plant (now regarded as Asia's top quality and productivity Toyota plant), the launch of Gazoo Racing (cars and festival), and leading the Toyota brand to the top of the non-national sales chart.

“I have been very blessed to have been given the privilege to serve in Malaysia over two tenures. Throughout my two assignments in Malaysia totaling 12 years, I had two key phrases I always kept in mind – ‘Reborn’ and ‘Change & Challenge’. My time here in Malaysia was spent in pursuit of ever-better cars and the best customer services while continuously contributing to the Malaysian automobile industry,” said Takeyama.

“The years I have spent in this beautiful country were truly wonderful and exciting, filled with so many significant events, milestones, challenges and accomplishments. These would not have been possible without the strong support from my team and all our stakeholders,” he added.