TOKYO (AP) Hiroshi Okuda, the former chief executive of Toyota, who led the Japanese automakers stellar rise in global markets, has died, the company said Wednesday. He was 93.
The date and cause of his death were not immediately available.
Okuda served as president then chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. from 1995 through 2006. In his 45-year career at Toyota, Okuda is especially remembered for having led the development of the gas-electric hybrid Prius in 1997, a model with the fuel-efficient technology that was ground-breaking at that time.
The Prius became a symbol of the auto industry s push for green driving. Okuda was instrumental in helping drive Toyotas reputation for fuel-efficiency at a time when gas prices were already surging, such as its bestseller Camry, as well as the hybrids.
Born in central Japan, the area where Toyota has its headquarters, Okuda graduated in 1955 from the prestigious Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, with a degree in business.
Okuda, reputedly outspoken and always ready with a quick laugh, was unusual in not being from Toyotas founding Toyoda family, as the leadership at the worlds top automaker tended to be.
The former chief executive was key in leading Toyotas global expansion over his years at the helm, not only in sales, but also production, setting up manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe.
Okuda, a black belt in judo, was vocal about his concerns over the possible backlash that Toyota might face, as its growth meant the inevitable dethroning of the American so-called Big Three, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, synonymous for U.S. manufacturing grandeur.
He liked to emphasize how the auto industry was global and connected, using the term harmony to drive home that message.
Toyota, as well as other Japanese automakers like Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., were raking in huge profits, while the Americans were sinking into losses. That helped ring in the Japan-bashing sentiments starting in the 1980s.
As is still the case today, the cheap yen was also pointed to as giving Toyota and the other Japanese makers an unfair advantage. A cheap yen raises the value of overseas earnings for the Japanese, when translated into yen.
Okuda was adviser on Toyotas board when Toyota added an American for the first time on its board, Jim Press, in 2007.
He was also a proponent of promoting younger management, when that was still relatively rare in Japanese corporate circles, although that usually meant empowering men in their 50s instead of their 60s.
A company must change when things are going well. Theres no point in trying to change after things start going bad, he told reporters in 2005.
That emphasis on staying nimble encapsulates Toyotas basic principle of constantly improving, known as kaizen, which, along with just-in-time production, centering on the idea of avoiding huge inventory, is at the core of Toyotas founding philosophies.
Respected in the business community here, Okuda served as head of major business lobbies, such as the Japan Business Federation known as Keidanren, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the Prime Ministers Economic Strategy Council of Japan and the Japan Federation of Employers Associations.
Toyota did not immediately have details on surviving family. Funeral arrangements were being made by the family, and plans may be coming later on a more public formal ceremony, according to the company.
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东京（美联社）——丰田汽车公司周三宣布，曾带领这家日本汽车制造商在全球市场取得辉煌成就的前首席执行官奥田硕（Hiroshi Okuda）去世，享年93岁。
其死亡日期及原因尚未立即公布。
奥田硕（Okuda）于1995年至2006年期间先后担任丰田汽车公司总裁及董事长。在丰田45年的职业生涯中，他最为人称道的成就是于1997年主导开发了油电混合动力车型普锐斯（Prius），这款搭载突破性节油技术的车型在当时具有划时代意义。
普锐斯成为汽车行业推动绿色驾驶的象征。在油价飙升时期，奥田硕助力丰田树立了燃油效率标杆的企业形象，其畅销车型凯美瑞及混合动力车系均受益于此。
奥田硕出生于日本中部地区，即丰田汽车公司总部所在地。他于1955年毕业于东京著名的一桥大学，获得商学学位。
奥田硕以直言不讳和谈笑风生著称，他的特殊之处在于并非出身丰田创始家族丰田家族，而这家全球顶尖汽车制造商的领导层通常由该家族成员担任。
这位前任首席执行官在掌舵丰田期间，对推动公司的全球扩张起到了关键作用，不仅体现在销售方面，还包括生产领域——他在美国和欧洲建立了多家制造工厂。
身为柔道黑带的奥田硕公开表达了他的担忧，他认为丰田公司可能面临强烈抵制，因为其发展壮大意味着必然取代美国所谓的“三巨头”——通用汽车、福特和克莱斯勒，这些公司曾是美国制造业辉煌的代名词。
他喜欢强调汽车行业的全球性与互联性，并用“和谐”一词来强化这一观点。
丰田汽车（Toyota）以及本田汽车（Honda Motor Co.）和日产汽车（Nissan Motor Co.）等日本汽车制造商当时正赚得盆满钵满，而美国车企却深陷亏损泥潭。这一反差助长了20世纪80年代兴起的“抨击日本”情绪。
与如今情况类似，当时日元贬值也被指赋予丰田及其他日本制造商不公平优势。日元走弱会提升日本企业海外收益换算成日元后的价值。
2007年，当丰田汽车首次任命美国人吉姆·普雷斯（Jim Press）加入董事会时，奥田硕（Okuda）正担任丰田董事会顾问。
他也是提拔年轻管理层的倡导者，尽管当时这在日本企业界还较为罕见，不过这里所说的“年轻”通常是指启用50多岁的管理者，而非60多岁。
他在2005年对记者表示：“一家公司必须在发展顺利时求变。等到情况恶化再试图改变，就毫无意义了。”
这种对保持灵活性的强调，体现了丰田（Toyota）持续改进的基本原则——即“改善”（kaizen）理念。该理念与以避免大量库存为核心的“准时化生产”模式，共同构成了丰田创立哲学的核心。
奥田硕在本土商界备受尊敬，曾担任多家重要商业组织的主席，包括日本经济团体联合会（经团联）、日本汽车工业协会、日本首相经济战略会议以及日本经营者团体联盟。
丰田公司暂未透露遇难者家属的具体信息。据该公司表示，丧葬事宜正由家属安排，后续可能将举行更公开的正式追悼仪式。
