While Suzuki Motor Corp.'s domestic sales of minivehicles renewed a record for the first six months of 2000, Masao Toda, Suzuki's new president and chief operating officer, said his most important task is to create more attractive cars to take a bigger share of the competitive auto market.
"It's very difficult to predict what kind of cars are widely accepted in the Japanese market because popular models have been continuously changing," Toda, 65, said. "But observing recent popular models such as (Toyota Motor Corp.'s) bB compact wagon, I feel that more young people should get involved in product development to create appealing products."
Toda, who is an engineer, succeeded Osamu Suzuki on June 29. His major responsibility has become product development, covering all stages from design to manufacturing and procurement.