Toyota chief shifts gear, to boost electric vehicle division

Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday appointed its president to lead their newly formed electric car division, flagging its commitment to develop a technology that the automaker has been slow to embrace.

The change comes as the United States, China and European countries are encouraging automakers to make more all-electric battery cars as they push alternative energy strategies. Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder Kiichiro Toyoda, has been at the helm of the world's largest auto-maker since 2009. He will head the company's electric vehicle (EV) planning department along with Executive Vice Presidents Mitsuhisa Kato and Shigeki Terashi.