--- title: "Toyota Trades Passion for Profit With CEO Swap" date: "2026-02-06" modified: "2026-02-06" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota-trades-passion-for-profit-with-ceo-swap" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Toyota News" tags: - "Toyota" --- # Toyota Trades Passion for Profit With CEO Swap ![Koji Sato, at left, will be leaving his post as Toyota's CEO and handing the reins to current CFO Kenta Kon, at right.]() *Koji Sato, at left, will be leaving his post as Toyota's CEO and handing the reins to current CFO Kenta Kon, at right. \Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images\* A little more than two years after Koji Sato took the reins from Akio Toyoda, the world's largest automaker has a new top executive. Kenta Kon, 57, will now lead [Toyota](), having already served as its Chief Financial Officer since 2020. Unlike Sato and Toyoda, Kon is less a car guy and more a finance guy, though he's been at Toyota since 1991 and worked as Toyoda's secretary for eight years. During Kon's tenure as CFO, the automaker began pushing services and subscriptions alongside vehicles. It's this initiative that perhaps made Kon an attractive option to the board, as profitability has become a major concern, with Chinese competitors driving prices down and U.S. tariffs upending the global landscape. "I’m very strict when it comes to money and numbers," he said to reporters on Friday morning, per *[Bloomberg]()*. OK, not terribly exciting, but maybe he has a racing driver alter ego we don't know about yet. As for Sato, he will shift to a capacity similar to Toyoda's as vice chairman. But he will also move into a new role the automaker has just created, titled Chief Industry Officer. [Toyota's press release]() announcing the management shakeup stressed "a growing need to accelerate practical initiatives for industry collaboration to strengthen international competitiveness" as well as a desire to "expand partnerships beyond the industry." ![]() *Toyota's perennial best-seller, the RAV4, was just redesigned for 2026. *Nathan Leach-Proffer/Toyota** Considering Sato was *also* recently appointed chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, his focus going forward seems pretty clear: concentrating on manufacturing efficiency and joint ventures to keep the country's automotive sector—most of all Toyota—poised for success. This all comes after Toyota sold 3% more vehicles globally than in the previous quarter, yet posted an operating profit that's 1.9% *lower*, year-on-year. If you guessed that tariffs might have something to do with that, Toyota agrees. The company projects that its operating profit will land at $23.3 billion upon the conclusion of its fiscal year on March 31, which would represent a 21% drop from the year prior. Yeah, it's easy to see why they want the finance guy in charge. Kon starts his new job on April 1. *Got a tip? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()