Toyota Veteran Sugata to Head Thailand Ops

Toyota veteran Michinobu Sugata is returning to Toyota Thailand as its new president.

Sugata, whose 34-year career includes posts from Africa to Southeast Asia, replaces the popular Kyoichi Tanada, who has completed his term and becomes an advisor to the parent company.

Under Tanada, Toyota has become entrenched as Thailand’s best-selling brand and the country has become one of the automaker’s key global auto-manufacturing hubs.

He ended a tradition of having Japanese staffers oversee all Thai operations by promoting Thais to manage the company’s key organizational divisions.

For Sugata, 56, it’s a return to Bangkok. From 2006 to 2008 he was executive managing coordinator for Toyota Thailand’s Marketing Div.

He began his career with Toyota’s Africa Div. in 1983 and by 1997 he was a senior vice president with Toyota Philippines. After stints in Japan and Thailand he returned to the Philippines in 2010 as president of the Toyota subsidiary there.

“Mr. Sugata will definitely be able to apply his experience in the global operations in breadth and depth to propel Toyota Motor Thailand to continue achieving further growth as well as to become at the forefront of leading organization that strives to grow together with the Thai society,” the company says in a statement.

Sugata takes over in Bangkok as the industry shows signs of climbing out of a 4-year slump. Toyota retained its market dominance last year, despite sales falling 7.9% to 245,087 units with the overall Thai market off 3.9% at 768,788.

Its January sales rose 9.2% to 15,115 units in a market up 10.5% to 57,254. Toyota predicts the Thai market will grow 4.1% this year to 800,000 units.