Toyota, a popular OEM for NASCAR, has sparked heated debate recently with its decision to end its sponsorship of LGBTQ events, withdraw from Human rights campaign ratings and corporate culture survey and overhaul its diversity strategy, equity and inclusion. HRC’s vice president has now issued a warning to the company.
Toyota described the move, via Bloomberg, as a response to the “highly political debate” over corporate DEI obligations. Instead, the company will focus its efforts on STEM education and workforce training, an internal memo said. This decision drew mixed reactions. Toyota has historically established itself as an influential force in the NASCAR space, supporting drivers like Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick in their pursuit of Cup Series championships. With more than 50,000 employees and a network of 1,500 dealers in the US, Toyota has considerable influence. Therefore, as we have seen here, changes in business ethics or public relations strategies often have ramifications.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck supported Toyota’s latest stance, criticizing the company’s past involvement in LGBTQ advocacy and calling it “woke.” Its position is consistent with its history of challenging companies like Ford, Harley-Davidson and Lowe’s for similar reasons. Meanwhile, HRC Vice President Eric Bloem issued a warning to the company:”The short-sighted decision to abandon DEI’s initiatives will have a lasting negative impact on the company’s success in a future where more people than ever identify as LGBTQ.”Some NASCAR fans agreed with Toyota’s revised strategy, seeing it as a way to potentially boost car sales. “Thank God we need a new 4 runner,” one person said. “Time for LFG to win the title,” added another.
However, not all of these responses are supportive. “Looking at @ToyotaMotorCorp but sticking with a Volkswagen for my next car,” it said.
