He's known to the Japanese people as 'the prince', but on Wednesday afternoon Akio Toyoda was a long way from sitting on any royal throne, symbolically or otherwise.

The 53 year old Toyoda is the president and CEO of the Toyota Motor Corporation. His grandfather founded, what is today the world's largest auto company, more than seven decades ago. But life in the executive suite has been anything but an easy ride for Toyoda and the automaker's top brass lately. Following a number of recent safety recalls, including concerns about sudden accelerations, Mr. Toyoda was front and center in front of a congressional hearing today. He apologized to consumers for accidents involving his company's cars, saying his name is on every vehicle and he is 'deeply sorry'. A lot is riding on what happens to Toyota from here, for dealers, drivers and the economies of America and Japan. I owned a Toyota Camry for years in the 1990's and drove it for two hundred thousand miles without a problem. I loved that car. Here's hoping the company can get back to that standard of excellence in the future. I think Toyota can turn things around, what your opinion?