Akio Toyoda, Toyota's chief executive, assured US lawmakers on Wednesday that the crisis engulfing the carmaker had taught him to put more emphasis on feedback from customers and better information sharing in his global company.

Making one of the most anticipated appearances by a foreign executive on Capitol Hill, the head of the world's biggest carmaker struck a contrite tone, acknowledging that the rapid growth of the company founded by his grandfather had outpaced its internal resources.

“The most important lesson I learned will be to put greater emphasis on customers' viewpoints and perspectives,” Mr Toyoda said. “We'll make sure that we get information from various regions of the world in a more timely manner.”