Toyota President Akio Toyoda, known as "the prince" in Japan, was groomed for years to head the automaker his grandfather founded.
His appointment in 2009 was full of promise — a morale booster for the rank and file who expected that a youthful Toyoda in the hot seat would help steer the carmaker through a brutal slump in the global auto market.
Half a year later, he's slammed as slow and indecisive as Toyota Motor Corp. grapples with the worst crisis in its 70-year history — massive global recalls ballooning to 8.5 million vehicles in a matter of weeks and its once-sterling reputation for quality in tatters.