Amid major setbacks leading to massive recalls related to unintended acceleration, faulty brakes and other mechanical calamities, Toyota is shifting into damage control mode. On Tuesday, the Japanese carmaker’s president, Akio Toyoda, made a personal apology before the U.S. Congress, admitting that his company got ahead of itself, prioritizing growth over quality control. –KA

BBC:

“All the Toyota vehicles bear my name. For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well. I, more than anyone wish for Toyota’s cars to be safe, and for our customers to feel safe when they use our vehicles.”

And he added: “We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organisation and we should be sincerely mindful of that.”

Mr Toyoda also made a personal apology to the family of Mark Saylor, a California highway patrol officer killed along with his wife, daughter and brother-in-law in a crash that led to renewed US government scrutiny of problems with acceleration in some models.

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