Toyota Motor North America is preparing for a leadership change at the start of 2027, with Mark Templin set to become president and CEO on January 1. He will succeed Ted Ogawa, who is returning to Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan after leading the North American organization since 2020.
The appointment comes as Toyota manages a large manufacturing footprint, invests in electrification, and responds to changing customer demand across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Templin brings more than 30 years of experience at Toyota, having worked in several areas of the company, including sales, luxury vehicles, financial services, and regional management.
He is therefore a longtime company executive rather than an external appointment. The leadership change also involves the appointment of a new chief operating officer, signaling a wider management restructuring rather than a simple replacement at the top.
Mark Templin Takes Over Toyota’s North American Operations
Toyota announced on November 5, 2026, that Templin will become president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), effective January 1, 2027. He currently serves as the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.
In his new position, he will oversee Toyota’s North American operations, including manufacturing, research and development, sales, marketing, product support, and corporate functions. The role covers vehicle production, dealer relationships, customer services, and regional strategy.
Templin joined Toyota in 1990, giving him more than 36 years with the automaker by the time he assumes the new position. His career has included assignments in several important parts of the business.
In 2005, he took charge of Toyota’s Scion brand as group vice president and general manager. He later led the U.S. operations of Lexus, Toyota’s luxury division, with responsibility for the brand’s business activities in the American market. Those roles gave him experience in mainstream and premium vehicle sales.
His background also extends beyond vehicle sales. Templin served as director and group chief operating officer of Toyota Financial Services, CEO of the Americas and Oceania Region, and CEO of Toyota Insurance Management Solutions.
He has also held board leadership positions at Toyota Motor Credit and Toyota Financial Savings Bank. His background spans automotive retail, financial services, and regional management.
Templin became TMNA’s chief operating officer in January 2025, following the retirement of Jack Hollis. His move to the top position therefore follows a relatively short period in the COO role, but it is part of a longer career within Toyota’s management structure. Toyota says the appointment reflects its focus on developing experienced regional leaders.
Ted Ogawa’s Departure and the Wider Executive Changes
Ogawa will remain president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America through December 31, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, he will serve as a senior executive advisor to TMNA through March.
In April, he is scheduled to return to Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan as a senior fellow, where he will oversee external affairs activities for certain Toyota-owned businesses. His next assignment is therefore a transition within the wider Toyota organization, not a departure from the company.
Ogawa became CEO of Toyota’s North American operations in April 2020. His tenure included the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory changes. Toyota credits him with strengthening cooperation across manufacturing, research, development, sales, and corporate teams.
He also emphasized building vehicles in the markets where they are sold, a principle reflected in the company’s continued investment in U.S. production and local suppliers.
One major development during Ogawa’s tenure was the opening of Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina, in 2025. Toyota described the project as its first in-house battery plant outside Japan.
The company has said the nearly $14 billion investment could create up to 5,100 jobs and support production of batteries for electrified vehicles. The facility expands Toyota’s North American battery supply chain.
Toyota also announced plans to invest up to an additional $10 billion in U.S. operations over five years, which the company said would bring its total U.S. investment to nearly $60 billion.
More recently, it announced a $3.6 billion expansion of its San Antonio, Texas, manufacturing operations, with plans to increase production capacity and create approximately 2,000 jobs. These investments frame the responsibilities Templin inherits across manufacturing, workforce development, and product strategy.
The leadership change also affects the COO position. Hiroshi Nambu, currently president of Toyota Motor Corporation’s Business Planning and Operation division, will become TMNA’s chief operating officer on January 1, 2027.
Nambu has experience in planning, sales, operations, and mobility-related functions. He previously worked with Toyota’s U.S. sales, manufacturing, and technical organizations, including product planning and development coordination between 2004 and 2007.
What the Leadership Transition Means for Toyota in North America
Templin will take charge of a business with a significant manufacturing and retail presence. Toyota says it directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America and operates 14 manufacturing plants across the region.
The company also says its North American operations have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 50 million vehicles. Its network includes Toyota and Lexus brands and more than 1,800 dealerships, making the region important for production, sales, and customer relationships.
A central challenge will be balancing different powertrain strategies. Toyota continues to sell gasoline vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric models, with customer demand and infrastructure varying across North American markets.
The battery plant in North Carolina and the planned San Antonio expansion show that the company is investing in production capacity while retaining a broad product mix. Templin must coordinate manufacturing and product decisions with regional sales needs.
His experience with Lexus and Toyota Financial Services may also be relevant as the company manages affordability, financing, and customer retention. Higher vehicle prices and borrowing costs can influence what customers can afford, while dealers need a steady supply of vehicles that match local demand.
Toyota’s North American leadership must coordinate with manufacturing plants, suppliers, and dealers so that production plans translate into vehicles customers are prepared to buy. These remain ongoing operating responsibilities, not newly announced policy changes.
The selection of Nambu as COO adds another experienced Toyota executive to the regional leadership team. His planning and U.S. product-coordination experience could support links between headquarters and North America.
The two appointments also reflect a broader Toyota organizational change taking effect in January 2027, as the automaker adjusts regional leadership roles and its global management structure.
Toyota has not announced a new North American product plan or a major strategic reversal as part of the leadership transition. The immediate change is the region’s leadership and distribution of senior responsibilities.
Templin inherits an established manufacturing network, a large dealer base, and ongoing investment commitments. His priorities will become clearer through future operating decisions, production announcements, and communications with dealers and employees.
For now, the appointment represents continuity through an internal succession. Templin has spent most of his career inside Toyota, while Ogawa will remain involved during the transition before taking his next role in Japan.
With Nambu moving into the COO position, Toyota is changing two of its most senior North American leadership posts at the same time. The new team will take charge on January 1, 2027, as Toyota continues to manage its manufacturing investments, electrification plans, and competition across the U.S. market.
