Toyota Creates New Digital Transformation & Mobility Pillar

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Zack Hicks takes on new role as Chief Digital Officer

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Mar 12, 2018, 02:00 ET

PLANO, Texas, March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vehicle connectivity, electrification, new forms of mobility and mobility services, and autonomous driving technologies are driving new opportunities for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).

With an eye on enabling agility and scale, TMNA is creating a new Digital Transformation & Mobility pillar, which will be led by newly appointed Chief Digital Officer Zack Hicks. Hicks will report directly to TMNA CEO Jim Lentz. Hicks also will continue in his role as President and CEO of Toyota Connected.

Effective April 2, functions reporting to Digital Transformation & Mobility will include:

Information Services, led in the interim by TMNA Chief Information Officer Zack Hicks
Connected Technologies, led by Vice President Steve Basra
Future Mobility Business Group, led by Group Vice President Chris Tinto

The teams will focus on areas such as shared mobility, connectivity services and over-the-air feature upgrades to identify new business models and future opportunities.

"Digital Transformation & Mobility brings together three integrated teams who can focus on new business innovation, voice of customer excellence and digital product development," Hicks said.

"As Toyota transitions from a traditional car company into a global mobility company, we are focused on how we can better suit our customers' needs now and in the future," said TMNA CEO Jim Lentz. "Bringing these mobility functions together under Zack's leadership gives us the ability to collaborate in unprecedented new ways."

About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About Toyota Connected, Inc.
Based in Plano, Texas, Toyota Connected North America (TCNA) was established in 2016 to drive Toyota's global efforts for an intelligent mobile society. With big data collected from vehicles and analyzed on a cloud platform, TCNA humanizes the driving experience by freeing customers from the tyranny of technology via secure, seamless and contextual services, elevating the customer experience while benefitting dealers, distributors, and partners. Analyzing traffic patterns, driver behavior and connecting drivers with infrastructure and other information is only part of TCNA's work that will open new services and products to keep the car as a beloved companion.

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Karen Nielsen
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America