Akio Toyoda, grandson of the manufacturer’s founder and CEO since 2009, will step down from the Japanese carmaker’s top position. From the 1st of April, Koji Sato, head of branding and chairman of the luxury Lexus brand, will take on the commitment to reorient the manufacturer’s strategy, firmly focused on electric cars. The 53-year-old new CEO will have to accelerate a process that is already at high speed in many competing companies. According to Koji Sato, the grandson of Toyota’s founder offered him the job late last year during the company’s 60th anniversary celebrations in Thailand. In a statement, Toyoda shares that the new CEO’s mission will be to transform Toyota into a "mobility company”.