????豐田章男正在公司推行“永遠追求更好的汽車”這一理念，而內山田武就是主力。很多年來，車迷們都在抱怨豐田汽車的設計感不足，只是把汽車當成運輸工具，使得現代汽車（Hyundai）等公司占據了設計方面的優勢。內山田武對這些批評意見表示認可。他告訴我：“豐田公司的成長可以說是建立在質量、穩定性、可靠性的基礎之上。跟競爭者相比，我們在這三方面都很優秀。但自從受到2008年雷曼兄弟公司（Lehman）破產的打擊，我們的大宗銷售逐步下降。與以往的做法不同，我們需要讓產品外觀看起來更吸引人。目前我們已經逐步加大了在高品質內飾設計方面的力度。”

????外觀固然重要，但內山田武也不會放棄豐田在綠色動力車型領域的優勢。今年春天，豐田將推出價值32,000美元的插電式普銳斯車型。他認為，這將是將汽車從汽油動力制約中解放出來的最佳短期解決方案。這款插電式汽車與常規的混合動力車不同，電池可供汽車完全以電力行駛15英里，并可在家完成充電。“我認為，這款插電式汽車將成為未來最實用的技術，而且有潛力得到廣泛的運用。它可以看成是一款永遠不需要擔心斷電的電動車。如果電池耗盡，司機可像駕駛普通混合動力車一樣繼續行駛。因此汽車內置的電池容量可以最小化。”我請他對普銳斯和宣傳攻勢強大的雪佛蘭伏特（Chevrolet Volt）進行比較。他的回答出人意料的坦率：“伏特在純電力模式下駕駛時間更長，電池容量更大。然而電池耗盡后，如果通過汽油引擎駕駛，伏特的動力性能會逐步下降。因此我認為伏特的駕駛成本要比普銳斯插電式汽車更高。”

????結束內山田武的采訪后，我隨后就要開始采訪豐田章男。會見地點是在豐田公司總部附近一處私人花園的會客廳，富有濃郁的日本特色。公司在這處私人花園內復建了豐田章男祖父豐田喜一郎的舊宅。豐田章男健步走進會客廳，活力充沛得仿佛電視娛樂節目主持人一般。兩年半之前，在他剛擔任總裁后不久，我就曾見過他。與當時相比，現在的他更為自信和放松。他坐在會議桌的對面，直接聽取我用英語提出的問題，翻譯將他的回答從日文翻譯成英文時，他一直專注地看著我。

????與身著灰色正裝、整天在辦公桌前正襟危坐的公司前輩不同，55歲的豐田章男穿著諾梅克斯防火賽車服和防撞頭盔的時候顯得更自在一些。作為一位注冊測試車手，他每年會對200輛豐田車以及競爭對手的車型進行測試。駕駛汽車是他最開心的時刻。去年四月，豐田章男在拉斯維加斯與美國經銷商會談后，在附近的賽道駕駛一輛850馬力的NASCAR（美國全國汽車比賽協會）改裝賽車，盡情釋放自己。他說，激情能讓他更迅速地適應總裁職位。他解釋說：“當初我父親（豐田公司名譽董事長豐田章一郎）對我說：‘我就把一切都托付給你了’，當時我很高興。當然，在過去兩年里我所處的環境發生了巨變，但有一點始終沒有改變，那就是我對汽車的熱愛，我覺得這份熱愛能讓幫我順利度過困境。我總是告訴公司員工，我們要永遠追求更好的汽車。每逢新車發布我都會親自試駕。通過嘗試盡可能多的汽車，我能夠更好地比較豐田車與其他類似的汽車。通過親自駕駛，我也能對公司的戰略發展方向有更深的理解。”

????Akio is pushing Toyota to make "always better cars," and Uchiyamada is the point man. For years enthusiasts have complained that Toyota treats cars like transportation appliances and allows companies such as Hyundai to seize design leadership. Uchiyamada says the critics were right. He told me: "Basically, Toyota's growth had been underpinned by QDR [quality, dependability, reliability] that was very high compared with competitors'. However, since the Lehman shock [in 2008], large-scale sales of Toyota vehicles have decelerated. Compared with past practices, we need to make products that are even more attractive. We have stepped up our efforts emphasizing design, high quality of the interiors."

????Appearances count, but Uchiyamada has no intention of allowing Toyota to lose its green credentials either. This spring Toyota will launch the plug-in Prius, a $32,000 car that he believes is the best short-term solution to freeing the automobile from gasoline. Unlike conventional hybrids, the plug-in has a large battery that can power the car for up to 15 miles on electricity alone and be recharged at home. "I think the plug-in is the most practical technology of the future that will see great potential for mass dissemination. It can be recognized as an electric vehicle without having to worry about running out of battery. If the battery runs out, the car can be driven as a normal hybrid, so the amount of battery mounted in the vehicle can be minimized." I asked him how he compared the Prius to the much-publicized Chevrolet Volt, and he gave me a surprisingly candid answer. "The Volt has a longer driving range in EV mode, but for that they have greater battery volume. After the battery runs out, the Volt's power performance deteriorates when driven by a gasoline engine. So I believe the cost of the Volt will be higher than the Prius plug-in."

????When my interview with Uchimayada concluded, it was time for the meeting with Akio. It was to be held in a characteristically Japanese setting: a meeting hall in a private park near Toyota headquarters, where the company had reassembled the former residence of Kiichiro Toyoda, Akio's grandfather. Akio bounded into the interview room with the energy of a TV game show host, clearly more confident and relaxed than the man I had met 2? years earlier, just after he had become president. Seated at a table across from me, he took questions in English and watched me intently while the interpreter translated his answers from Japanese.

????Unlike his gray-suited, office-bound predecessors, Akio, 55, is more comfortable in a fire-resistant Nomex suit and crash helmet than he is in a coat and tie. A certified test driver, he evaluates as many as 200 Toyotas and competitive vehicles annually, and appears happiest when he's behind the wheel. After speaking at a U.S. dealer meeting in Las Vegas last April, Akio unwound by driving an 850-horsepower NASCAR stock car at a nearby speedway. His passion, he says, has made it easy for him to settle into his job as president. He explained, "I was very glad to hear from my father [honorary chairman Soichiro Toyoda], 'I leave everything in your hands.' Of course, over the past two years the environment has seen dramatic change, but one thing I maintained, which I think protected me from these hardships, is that I love cars, and I kept saying to people constantly that we need to come up with always better cars. Whenever a new car is launched I have to drive it myself. So by trying out as many vehicles as possible, I think I can compare Toyota cars with comparable vehicles, and by driving directly I can understand the strategic direction of the company."