Toyota chief apologizes for recalls, sets up quality committee, stops short of Prius recall

Toyota’s chief apologizes for global recalls

TOKYO — Toyota’s president apologized for the automaker’s global recalls and promised to beef up quality control by setting up a special committee he would head himself.

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said the automaker was still deciding what to do to fix braking problems with the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid.

Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s founder, was speaking at a hastily called news conference in Nagoya, Japan, late Friday, which was shown at Toyota’s Tokyo office by satellite feed.

The automaker has acknowledged the new Prius that went on sale in May last year has braking problems. Toyoda did not announce a recall, but Toyota said this week it was considering one.