Johan van Zyl, originally from South Africa, president and CEO of Toyota Europe from 2015 to April 2021.
Johan van Zyl, former chief executive of Toyota Europe, died on Friday in his local South Africa at the age of 63.
The cause is similar to COVID-19 headaches, according to others close to the case.
The automaker said Saturday it would be remembered for its humor, calmness and empathy.
Van Zyl led Toyota’s European operations, which come with Russia, Turkey, Israel and Central Asian countries, from 2015 until April, when he replaced Director of Sales and Marketing Matthew Harrison.
Under van Zyl’s strategic and operational leadership, Toyota Europe recorded sales results, with sales exceeding one million in 2019 for the first time in 10 years and a market share exceeding 6% in 2020.
Toyota, leader in CO2 emissions with a diversity of hybrid powertrains that expanded with van Zyl. During his tenure, the automaker expanded its production sites and added products in Russia, Poland, Turkey and France. Toyota took sole ownership of a joint venture plant with the PSA Group in Kolin, Czech Republic, in January.
Van Zyl announced in 2018 that Toyota would shut down diesel-drive trains from the automaker’s passenger car lineup, with the exception of the Land Cruiser SUV and Hilux pickup.
Leaving Toyota Europe, van Zyl said: “What pleases me the most is the very strong team we have here in Europe. In the transformation we’ve taken, and I have no doubt that Toyota will do very well the leadership of Matt [Harrison]. “
Harrison recently said that he sees no explanation as to why he would of course radically replace as CEO of Toyota Europe.
“I’ve worked a lot with van Zyl over the years,” Harrison told Automotive News Europe in an interview. “So I’d like to think that I’ve already had many opportunities to contribute to our strategy, and I didn’t feel the desire to give up everything and rebuild. This detail of my strategy is more about a graceful, non-stop transition. “
Van Zyl was born in Springs in East Rand, South Africa, on June 8, 1958. He received a Ph. D. in Business Economics from the University of Potchefstroom in 1986 and then began an educational career.
In July 1993, he joined Toyota South Africa as Sales Manager and was appointed President and CEO of the unit in 2003.
In 2009, van Zyl was also appointed Managing Director of parent company Toyota Motor Corp. In 2013, he was appointed CEO of the Africa region, and in 2015, he moved to Brussels as President and CEO of Toyota Europe.
In 2018, van Zyl won a Eurostar award from Automotive News Europe in the European Operations Head category.
“Toyota has never lacked the green generation and it’s still a blast to see that hybrids now account for more than a share of the automaker’s sales in Western Europe,” the quote reads. “What Toyota has never discovered in the afterlife is a style whose design can drive Europeans crazy. By gaining approval for the compact crossover polarizer C-HR, Johan van Zyl was able to unload a product to unleash a new momentum for Toyota Europe that goes far beyond generating consistent profits. “
Toyota in March van Zyl would retire as CEO of the Europe region.
In a recent interview with South African media, van Zyl said his return to his local country, where he continued to be president of Toyota South Africa, a position he held even after moving to Brussels, also meant he could spend more. time with your car collection.
“I have an Austin Healey, a Jaguar E-Type, an MG-A, many Land Cruisers, an MG-B, Citroën; I think I’m about twenty now,” he reported saying. The story added that van Zyl also had a Toyota 2000GT and a rare Lexus LF-A supercar.
You can unsubscribe at any time from the links contained in those emails. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time from the links contained in those emails. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
send us an email
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>
BACK to home page>