WASHINGTON — Akio Toyoda, president of embattled Toyota Motor Company, has accepted a formal invitation from Congress to testify at a February 24 congressional hearing regarding the company's actions in an ongoing safety recall campaign involving faulty gas pedals and runaway acceleration.
Earlier this week, Toyoda, a member of the automaker's founding family, said he did not plan to attend the Washington hearing titled "Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?"
Then, on Thursday, Rep. Ed Towns (D-New York), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, extended an official invitation to Toyoda.
In his letter to Toyoda, Towns noted, "There appears to be growing public confusion regarding which vehicles may be affected and how people should respond.... To help clarify this situation, I am inviting you to testify."
In a short statement released by Toyota on Thursday afternoon, Toyoda said, "I have received Congressman Towns' invitation to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 24 and I accept. I look forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people."
The automaker previously had said it planned to send Yoshi Inaba, president of Toyota Motor North America, to the hearing. Later it was announced that Jim Lentz, Toyota's president of U.S. sales, would appear in Inaba's place.
Inside Line says: With a formal invitation from Congress, Toyoda pretty much had to accept or else risk losing the public relations battle. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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