Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda took to the circuit wearing a bright red MAGA hat, a Trump-Vance campaign T-shirt, and piloting a Ford F-150 pickup while American flags waved enthusiastically in the background.
The spectacle, billed as a celebration of American motorsport, instantly became the most politically charged lap in Japanese racing history.
Car enthusiasts are now debating whether their next Corolla should come with a side of bald-eagle stickers. Meanwhile, diplomatic gift shops in Tokyo have reportedly sold out of miniature cowboy hats, just in case other executives need to pledge allegiance on short notice.
Toyota’s share price barely blinked, suggesting investors have already priced in “eccentric chairman theatrics” as a standard line item right between depreciation and free coffee.
The event earlier this month featured top NASCAR drivers, a sea of Stars and Stripes, and a surprise cameo by U.S. Ambassador George Glass, who probably didn’t expect to attend a campaign rally with better tire smoke.
Toyoda, grinning beneath the embroidered slogan, circled the track in the rival Ford pickup as if to prove even a Toyota chairman can enjoy the occasional mid-life horsepower crisis.
Sources close to the company insist the outfit was not, in fact, left over from Halloween.
Days later, Toyota quietly confirmed plans to invest up to $10 billion in its American factories over the next five years. The timing was purely coincidental, much like finding a winning lottery ticket in the exact pocket you always check first.
President Trump promptly declared victory on social media and urged Americans to “go out and buy a Toyota,” momentarily forgetting whose truck his new best friend had just been driving.
Industry watchers noted that parts of the $10 billion were already budgeted years ago. Announcing them now simply moved the money from the “planned” column to the “tribute” column.
AutoForecast Solutions expert Sam Fiorani observed that Toyota has clearly studied the presidential playbook and circled the chapter titled “How to Make Me Look Good on Television.”
Toyota CEO Koji Sato defended his chairman’s flair, explaining that Toyoda’s decisions are guided by one simple question: “What’s best for the customer?” Apparently, some customers really enjoy limited-edition political fashion.
The company also revealed a more modest $912 million investment creating 252 new U.S. jobs. That’s roughly $3.6 million per job, or what it costs to hire one highly motivated parking-lot flag waver.
Analysts predict the grander billions may arrive fashionably late, possibly after the 2026 USMCA review when everyone has had time to calm down and eat some turkey.
For now, Toyota continues setting sales records, proving that nothing boosts hybrid Camry demand quite like a chairman who can rock a campaign hat without triggering an international incident.
Ambassador Glass reportedly left the event humming “Sweet Home Alabama” and wondering whether diplomatic immunity covers burnout contests.
Toyota declined to comment on whether the MAGA hat will become standard executive headgear at future board meetings.
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