Toyota ex-chief Okuda, pioneer of the Prius, dead at 93

Okuda took the reins of the struggling firm in 1995 as the first person from outside the founding family in decades, and pushed innovative products such as the RAV4 and Prius.

TOKYO: Former Toyota head Hiroshi Okuda, credited with championing the pioneering Prius hybrid and turning the Japanese automaker into a global titan, has died aged 93, the firm said on Wednesday (Aug 12).Okuda took the reins of the struggling firm in 1995 as the first person from outside the founding family in decades

Okuda was the first person to helm Toyota from outside the company's founding family in a generation.