Toyota boss Akio Toyodo says carmaker pursued growth over safety

By James Quinn, US Business Editor Published: 7:04AM GMT twenty-four February 2010

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"Quite frankly, I fright the gait at that we have grown might have been as well quick," the grandson of Toyota"s owner pronounced in rebuilt sworn statement to the US House of Representatives that will be delivered today.

He pronounced the carmaker"s priority has traditionally been "First; Safety, Second; Quality, and Third; Volume".

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"These priorities became confused, and we were not means to stop, think, and have improvements as most as we were means to before, and the simple position to attend to customers" voices to have improved products has enervated somewhat.

"We pursued expansion over the speed at that we were means to rise the people and the organization, and we should unequivocally be aware of that. I bewail that this has resulted in the reserve issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply contemptible for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced."

Mr Toyoda, who creatively had programmed not attend the hearing, apologised to the family of California law enforcemetn officer Mark Saylor, who died - along with his wife, daughter and brother-in-law after a Lexus they were pushing took off out of carry out in San Diego last August.

His sworn statement prior to the House of Representatitve"s Oversight and Government Reform Committee is dictated to assuage American politicians gunning for Toyota.

Mr Toyoda vowed to enlarge peculiarity carry out and speed up the doing of patron complaints. "My name is on each car. You have my personal fasten that Toyota will work energetically and perceptibly to revive the certitude of the customers."

In a initial day of congressional hearings on Tuesday, Jim Lentz, boss of Toyota"s US operations, confessed that it took "too prolonged to come to grips with a singular but critical set of reserve issues," detailing a catalog of errors that behind the company"s response.

Mr Lentz pronounced the association not usually focused as well narrowly on technical issues when it came to early patron complaints, but that it additionally unsuccessful to "promptly analyse" and reply to inform issuing from a series of key markets.

He additionally attempted to encourage the politicians that nothing of the problems relating to the recalls upsurge from Toyota"s electronic systems, citing an outmost consultants" inform to fill-in his claims.

But Congressman Henry Waxman, who chairs the committee, said: "Consumer complaints need to be taken seriously. The probability of electronic defects contingency be actively investigated." Congressman Bart Stupak agreed, saying: "Toyota"s care has been ambiguous. The fixes Toyota has advertised for this complaint do not yield most soundness to drivers."

Before Mr Lentz took the hot-seat, the cabinet listened from Rhonda Smith of Tennessee, whose Lexus car erratically lost increase in speed carry out after fasten a main road in Oct 2006, causing her to fright for her life.