LexFather

http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_li...l?id=20050324b

Toyota Motor Sales, USA Announces Top Management Changes



03/24/2005 Torrance, CA

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) USA, Inc. announced top management changes today, including executive positions overseeing automotive operations and the Toyota and Lexus divisions. The moves further prepare TMS leadership for the competitive future of the U.S. auto market and solidify longer-term succession planning for the organization.

The following executive promotions and assignments are effective immediately:

Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division, is appointed senior vice president, automotive operations. Esmond will assume responsibilities for all TMS automotive operations, including the Toyota Division, the Lexus Division, sales administration, Toyota Logistics Services, Toyota Motor Sales de Mexico and Toyota de Puerto Rico. Esmond joined TMS in 1982 and has served in positions in fleet and truck sales, vehicle series teams; vice president, sales for Lexus Division; and vice president, sales for Toyota Division. He will continue to report to Jim Press, executive vice president and chief operating officer. In his new role, Esmond will direct the day-to-day operations of TMS. This enables Press, who also serves as a managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan, to fulfill his expanding duties as a global leader for Toyota.

Jim Lentz, group vice president, marketing, is appointed group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division, replacing Esmond. Lentz' new responsibilities include directing all sales and marketing activities for the Toyota Division, including Scion, as well as Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors. A 23-year Toyota veteran, Lentz has served in a wide variety of positions including general manager of the San Francisco and Los Angeles regions, vice president of marketing services at Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors and vice president, Scion. Lentz will continue to report to Esmond.

Denny Clements, group vice president and general manager of Lexus, has elected to retire effective June 1, 2005. Clements will continue as a senior management advisor to Toyota and Lexus and will relinquish his day-to-day management responsibilities effective April 1. Under his leadership, Lexus has achieved unparalleled success; ranking as the number-one selling luxury brand for the fifth consecutive year, achieving record-breaking sales each year and introducing the first luxury gas/electric hybrid SUV, the RX 400h.

Clements joined Toyota in 1983 and has enjoyed a long and distinguished career with Toyota and Lexus, serving these divisions in several key capacities including: president, Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors/Quality Port Processors; corporate manager, maritime and logistics operations; corporate manager, import and distribution; national manager, TMD regions; general manager, New York region; general manager, Denver region; assistant general manager, Denver region; and sales analysis manager at TMS.

Bob Carter, vice president, Toyota Sales Division, is promoted to group vice president and general manager, Lexus Division, replacing Clements. In his new role he will assume responsibilities for all sales, marketing, and customer satisfaction activities of the Lexus Division. Carter joined TMS in 1981, and has served assignments in Lexus market representation, as general manager of the Toyota Denver region and general manager, Lexus Eastern area. He also held the position of general manager and part owner of Hyannis Toyota in Hyannis, Mass. He will continue to report to Don Esmond.

Replacements for Carter and Lentz will be named in the near future.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,422 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports and general aviation. The company's main Web site is http://www.toyota.com.

LexFather

Mr. Clements, thanks for all you have done to take Lexus to the next level. Lexus has undergone tremendous growth and success while retaining top quality under your guidance. Mr. Bob Carter, please continue to guide Lexus to kick much **** and while your at it, give us a SPORT division please. And some green tea at dealerships, I like green tea.

Vegassc400

encore888

There's an article in the LA Times as well with a quote essentially saying 'he retires on top'!

LexFather

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...ck=1&cset=true

Toyota Promotes Don Esmond to Oversee Sales of Brands in the U.S.
# The carmaker also announces that the general manager of Lexus will retire.



CALIFORNIA
TOYOTA MOTOR CORP EXECUTIVES
EXECUTIVES
TOYOTA MOTOR CORP





From Bloomberg News

Toyota Motor Corp., the largest Asian automaker in America, promoted Don Esmond to manage sales of the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands in the United States.

Esmond, 61, senior vice president of Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales USA, and general manager of the Toyota brand, beginning today also will oversee sales and marketing for Lexus and Scion autos, the company said in a statement. General managers of Toyota, Lexus and Scion will report to Esmond.

Toyota also said Denny Clements would retire June 1 as general manager of Lexus, the top-selling U.S. luxury auto brand. Bob Carter, 45, a Toyota division vice president, will succeed Clements at Lexus. Jim Lentz, 49, vice president of marketing, will take over from Esmond as Toyota brand manager.

Esmond, Lentz, Carter and their boss, Chief Operating Officer Jim Press, 58, have worked together at Toyota for more than two decades. During that time, Toyota's annual U.S. sales have more than tripled, to 2.06 million last year. Profit from the U.S. accounts for more than 75% of the automaker's global operating profit, the company has said.

"You can't be good consistently for as long as Toyota has in this market without solid management talent," said Jim Hall, a Southfield, Mich.-based auto analyst for consulting firm AutoPacific Inc.

Toyota, the world's second-largest automaker, raised U.S. sales 10% in 2004. This week the company said U.S. sales should rise at least 2% this year.

Clements, 60, has led Lexus for five years. He will give up day-to-day management duties starting April 1, Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis said.

Clements' decision to retire was personal and isn't related to either performance or health reasons, the company said.

"Look at the results," Dominicis said. "He's going out on top."

Lexus has outsold BMW, DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz, General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac and other luxury brands in the U.S. for five years. Last year, Lexus sales rose 11% to 287,927.

Toyota's U.S. shares fell $1.20 to $74.81 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Iceman

Holy crap! Did anyone see this coming? I only know Danny Clements through quotes and by the performance of the business units under him, but I really liked the guy! Where BMW and Audi execs speak ill of the competition or naively disregard it, he was always professional yet confident. And I am a firm believer that when a product/service/establishment excels, that begins at the top. Excellence filters down and pervades an organization, and Danny Clements must have set one heck of an example.

I will be praying this Easter weekend that the top dogs at Toyota have the wisdom to select a suitable successor and that Lexus does not falter from their proven, successful path.

mmarshall

Anybody know where Finnbar O'Neil is going? I understand that he may be looking for work. He would be a great additon to Toyota. He LITERALLY did wonders at Hyundai and served for a while at Mitsubishi, and now he's leaving....guess Mitsu was too much for him.

Vegassc400

If he has anything to do with Mitsubishis quality control or customer satisfaction, they can keep him.

mmarshall

No. I have to disagree......IMO you can't hold him responsible for Mitsu's sad state of affairs. O'Neill, more than anyone else, took Hyundai from the bottom of the barrel to just a couple of notches from the top. The fact that he was unable to do so at Mitsubishi speaks more about the company itself than it does for him. He did his best there, but Mitsubishi is not Hyundai.....apparantly they did not WANT to change like Hyundai did. It is going to take more than one man to fix that company.
But...just imagine what he could do at Toyota / Lexus....which is already at the top in many areas.

O'Neill, by the way, was the one who brought the Evo over here to America that so many of you guys drool over.

Gekko

Denny has some great quotes in this previously posted article -

http://www.sellingpower.com/article/...207&pageTitle=

LexFather

They are class acts.