Subaru appointed Atsushi Osaki as its chief executive officer and president, following Toyota’s decision to overhaul its top ranks, suggesting a greater urgency among Japanese carmakers to accelerate efforts to better compete the electric-vehicle era.
Osaki, 60, will succeed Tomomi Nakamura, who oversaw a period of strong sales growth in the U.S. and initiated the Japanese carmaker’s pivot to electrified vehicles. Toyota, which owns 20% of Subaru, announced plans in January for new CEO Koji Sato to take over from Akio Toyoda.
Subaru, known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles, is seen playing catchup in the global automotive industry’s race to electrify. It hasn’t set forth plans to produce EVs in the U.S., where new federal legislation is offering hefty subsidies to domestically made EVs.