SHERIDAN, WYOMING – December 5, 2025 – When Akio Toyoda says his dream is for people to say “cars are our culture,” he’s not just talking about Japan – he’s talking about the shared, emotional bond drivers feel around the world. That’s why his recent Lifetime Achievement Golden Steering Wheel award in Berlin is more than a trophy; it’s a moment where German car culture tipped its hat to a Japanese “car guy” who lives and breathes motorsport, road cars and the joy of driving.
What makes the Golden Steering Wheel such a big deal?
The Golden Steering Wheel (GSW), created in 1976 by Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag, is one of Europe’s most prestigious automotive awards. Each year, cars are judged on driving dynamics, connectivity, design and cost, and special honors go to individuals who’ve shaped the industry. Past honourees include Henry Ford, Michael Schumacher and Elon Musk – names that defined entire eras of car culture.
This year, Chairman Toyoda joins that shortlist. The award recognizes “his contributions to motorsport and his achievements in leading Toyota, as well as the global automotive industry, through recall issues and numerous other crises after assuming the presidency in 2009.” In other words: he isn’t just a corporate figurehead, he’s someone who steered one of the world’s biggest carmakers through turbulence while still pushing racing and driving fun to the forefront.
A racer at heart, honoured by a nation of car enthusiasts
At the ceremony in Berlin, Toyoda was introduced as “an accomplished racer with a passion for driving, as though gasoline runs through his veins—truly a living legend in the automotive world.” It’s a description that resonates with fans who know him not just as a chairman, but as a driver who has turned laps, rallied in the GR Yaris and championed the idea that engineers must feel cars from behind the wheel.
His affection for Germany makes this award especially meaningful. Toyoda has said, “How wonderful it would be if Japan, like Germany, were a country where the first response was ‘Cars are our culture.’” Receiving one of Germany’s most iconic automotive honours is a full-circle moment: a passionate Japanese car man being embraced by the very culture he admires.
With his schedule too packed to attend in person, the trophy was collected on his behalf by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Sébastien Ogier – fresh from securing his ninth world title. It was a fitting handoff: one champion racer accepting a culture-defining award for another.
Golden Steering Wheel, Toyota icons and the “cool kids’ table”
For fans, the Golden Steering Wheel isn’t some abstract industry prize. Recent Toyota and Lexus winners include the GR Supra, UX300e and, famously, the GR Yaris – the little rally rocket that’s become a cult hero in Europe. Seeing the man who greenlit and defended such enthusiast cars recognized in Germany feels like being invited to the automotive “cool kids’ table.”
The award also underlines the bridge between road and race. Under Toyoda’s watch, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has turned endurance racing and WRC into rolling test labs, feeding what’s learned on track back into the cars you can actually buy. For drivers, that means sharper hot hatches, more engaging hybrids and the sense that someone at the top genuinely cares about steering feel, not just spreadsheets.
Editorial extra: 3 reasons this award matters to everyday car fans
- It validates car culture as culture – not just transport.
A German institution celebrating a Japanese chairman for passion, racing and resilience says clearly: cars are about identity, emotion and community. - It protects fun cars in a changing era.
With regulations and electrification reshaping the industry, leaders who still fight for driver enjoyment make it more likely we’ll keep seeing engaging models, not only bland appliances. - It shows diversity at the top of the car world.
A Japanese executive joining a hall of fame that includes European legends is a reminder that car love crosses borders – and great ideas can come from anywhere.
As the industry races toward electrification, autonomy and new business models, Toyoda’s Golden Steering Wheel is a timely reminder that the soul of car culture still matters. It’s a signal that passion, resilience and a racer’s mindset have a place in boardrooms – and that drivers who care about how a car feels haven’t been forgotten.