Toyoda's apology

Akio Toyoda [Asianewsphoto]

In a first by a global carmaker's top executive, Toyota Motor Corp's president Akio Toyoda apologized to Chinese customers in an emergency press conference on March 1 in Beijing for its massive global recall over brake problems.

In China, the company recalled 75,500 RAV4 SUVs made at its joint venture plant in Tianjin due to defective brake pedals, a tiny ratio of its global recall of nearly 8.5 million vehicles because of similar problems.

"The incident caused worries to Chinese consumers. I hereby express my sincere apologies for these worries," Toyoda said at the press conference.

He blamed the problems mainly on the carmaker's overly rapid expansion. While he made a similar apology in Washington, the company faces far more serious sanctions in the US.

According to China's current regulations, vehicle producers that try to cover up defective products can be fined a maximum of 300,000 yuan, a negligible punishment compared with what they face in Western markets.