On Wednesday, James Lentz, president of Toyota Motor’s U.S. branch, apologized to Congress on the company’s handling of safety defeats tied to numerous vehicles around the globe.
“Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our good faith efforts,” said Mr. Lentz to a U.S. House investigative panel, reported by the AFP. “We acknowledge these mistakes, we apologize for them and we have learned from them.”
The United States government has a $50 billion investment in General Motors as it helps the company restructure. Putting a huge amount of cash into the automaker, the White House has placed a huge bet on the government’s ability to streamline and revive the brand.
“We have done extensive testing of this [electronic] system and have never found a malfunction that caused untended acceleration,” said Toyota president Akio Toyoda. “All Toyota vehicles bear my name. When cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well.”
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