Eiji Toyoda, who was a member of Toyota’s founding family and cousin of the automaker’s founder Kiichiro Toyoda, died Tuesday of heart failure at Toyota Memorial Hospital in Toyota city, central Japan.
Eiji-san served as president from 1967 to 1982 and continued as chairman and then as adviser until his death. He played an important role in expanding Toyota into North America and making it a Global brand. He also pioneered the ‘Toyota Way’, which was a method of producing cars with as little waste as possible, a method imitated around the globe.
One of Eiji Toyoda’s achievements was being inducted into the United States Automotive Hall of Fame in 1994. He was noticed for his contributions to car manufacturing and was the second honoree from Japan, after the Honda Motor founder, Soichiro Honda.
At the time of his death, he was being treated in a hospital founded by Toyota in 1963
Eiji Toyoda, died earlier today of a heart attack, passing away at the age of 100. He had his three sons and a daughter with his wife, Kazuko. He is survived by Kanshiro, his eldest son.
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