Toyota's quality crisis is exposing -- and exacerbating -- a long-simmering internal feud. The battle pits the founding Toyoda family against a group of professional managers, each blaming the other for the carmaker's woes.
Behind the scenes in recent weeks, the skirmishing has grown intense. President Akio Toyoda, the 53-year-old grandson of the founder, has tried to push out one of the non-family executives: his predecessor as president, Katsuaki Watanabe, now vice-chairman.
Not long after the company made one of its massive safety recalls in mid-January, Mr Toyoda suggested to Mr Watanabe, through an intermediary, that the former president leave the auto giant and instead run a Toyota affiliate, according to an executive who says he was told about the move by Mr Toyoda.
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