Meet UMW Toyota Motor’s new Deputy Chairman, Takashi Obata

KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Toyota Motor has initiated the transition to sustainable mobility in Malaysia with the launch of the Corolla Cross Hybrid just last month, which was followed by the reveal of the all-new Camry. Along with introducing the new models, the company has also made an important change in its key managerial personnel recently and that’s the appointment of Takashi Obata as its new Deputy Chairman, who took official charge on February 1, 2022. 

Takashi Obata holds a vast 30 years of experience of Toyota Motor Corporation with a key role in the company’s Product Planning in Sales & Operation Planning divisions. Prior to his role as Deputy Chairman, he handled the product planning of several Toyota-brand models for the international market. 

UMW Toyota is confident that Obata’s great experience and vision for the future of mobility, will drive the company to innovate and adapt to CASE ("Connected" cars, "Autonomous" driving, "Shared", and  "Electric") and carbon neutrality.  

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

Takashi Obata succeeded Akio Takeyama, who held the position for seven years. Under his leadership, the company has hit many key milestones comprising the launch of a manufacturing plant in Bukit Raja, recognized as the No.1 quality and productivity Toyota plant in Asia. Takeyama also contributed towards restructuring the sales and service network throughout the country, the introduction of GAZOO Racing, and successfully introducing many new Toyota models. 

While thanking the former Deputy Chairman Takeyama for his services and congratulating the new Deputy Chairman Obata, President of UMW Toyota Motor, Ravindran K. said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Takeyama-san for all our achievements during his tenure, the result of which is many happy and satisfied Toyota customers. It has truly been an honour to work alongside him, with his passion and automotive brilliance, he has indeed inspired many and leaves behind an incredible legacy. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. I take this opportunity to congratulate Obata-san on the appointment to Deputy  Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor. I look forward to working with him as we continue pushing the Toyota brand to newer heights and achieving even more milestones.” said Ravindran K.,  President of UMW Toyota Motor. 

“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.

Obata also appreciated the contributions of Takeyama. 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, especially with the strong support from the Government of Malaysia and all our stakeholders,” he added. 

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