On Friday, Toyota Motor North America introduced a number of management adjustments because it inches towards its dedication to electrification. As a part of the adjustments, Toyota is establishing a brand new “senior vp of electrical car provide” function to steer the automaker’s North American EV provide and manufacturing technique.

Toyota promotes Susan Elkington for brand new EV function

The Japanese automaker is splitting its North American manufacturing and part operations primarily based on the powertrain.

Susan Elkington will assume the brand new function of senior VP of electrical car provide at Toyota, the place she will probably be answerable for “accelerating the corporate’s electrified transformation, with a concentrate on battery and electrical car manufacturing and provide technique.”

From 2018 till now, Elkington served as president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK), the automaker’s largest manufacturing facility globally, with 500k annual unit manufacturing.

Toyota revealed final month it might produce its first US-assembled EV, a three-row electrical SUV, at its Georgetown, Kentucky, plant.

Elkington commented on the corporate transitioning the plant to electrical, saying, “Toyota Kentucky set the usual for Toyota car manufacturing within the US, and now we’re main the cost with BEVs.”

The brand new three-row electrical SUV batteries will probably be equipped from Toyota’s new battery manufacturing unit in North Carolina, one other facility over which Elkington may have duty.

Toyota invested a further $2.1 billion into the plant in Might (for a complete of $6 billion) with plans to provide lithium-ion batteries on six manufacturing traces (two for EVs and 4 for hybrids).

The brand new electrical SUV will probably be considered one of ten new absolutely electrical vehicles – other than its first, the bZ4X – deliberate to launch globally because it appears to achieve 1.5 million in EV gross sales by 2026.

At a current tech briefing, Toyota revealed a number of improvements, together with next-gen batteries and design enhancements that the corporate claims will double the vary of its present EV.

Kerry Creech will take Elkington’s place as president of TMMK, promoted from vp of producing on the facility.

In the meantime, Mike Sweers has been promoted to EVP at Toyota Motor North America Analysis and Growth along with chief tech officer. Sweers will oversee the corporate’s North American car analysis and growth.

Electrek’s Take

Though Toyota is taking a step in the suitable route by selling Elkington to a brand new function in an effort to speed up EV manufacturing, the corporate ought to have made a transfer like this years in the past.

Toyota is already a laggard within the North American EV market. Whereas many automakers are already reaching double-digit EV gross sales share or 100%, Toyota’s absolutely electrical autos accounted for simply 1% of complete gross sales within the first quarter of 2023.

At this level, Toyota could also be higher off skipping the separation of powertrain manufacturing and focusing immediately on EVs.

Toyota continues investing in expertise like hybrid and gasoline cell autos (FCEV) that may take much-needed sources and growth away from the place it issues – absolutely electrical vehicles.

Hopefully, Elkington can assist pace up Toyota’s transition to EVs in North America. We’ll preserve you up to date with extra.