William J. Holstein

Toyoda’s Testimony--Oh, What a Feeling … of Getting Even
Feb. 22--Akio Toyoda will testify before Congress Wednesday and I think it is only fair and fitting that he receive the same kind of treatment that the CEOs of American auto companies received. We all recall how congressmen and senators from the transplant states--meaning states where Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other non-American companies have plants--went after the CEOs of General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler.

Well, now the representatives of Michigan, Ohio and other states with U.S.-owned manufacturing have the opportunity to return the favor. They should ask:

--How did you get here today, Mr. Toyoda? Private jet? First class?
--Do you really care whether Americans get killed driving your products? Or is it their fault?
--Why did you not make any public statement until Japanese reporters ambushed you at the Davos World Economic Forum? Come to think of it, why did you go to Davos to hobnob with the elites when your company was facing an acute crisis in the United States, your largest market?
--Your company has now reported problems with brakes and accelerators in millions of vehicles. You've suggested these problems can be easily fixed. But isn't there something deeper that has gone wrong? Isn't Toyota supposed to be the company that doesn't make mistakes, the company that invented the lean manufacturing method and kaizen and kanban and all that? What really happened inside Toyota that could explain all these problems?

And welcome to Washington.