TOKYO -- Akio Toyoda's appointment as the president of Toyota last June was full of promise. The grandson of the automaker's founder, he was expected to boost morale for the rank and file and help steer the company through a brutal slump in the auto market.

Eight months later, he is being criticized as slow and indecisive as Toyota grapples with the worst crisis in its 70-year history - global recalls ballooning to 8.5 million vehicles over four months. Its reputation for high-quality, reliable cars has been tarnished, according to The Associated Press.

Toyoda, 53, said Thursday that he plans to testify at a U.S. congressional hearing next week about the automaker's recalls in the United States.

The announcement came two days after he said he wouldn't and follows an onslaught of criticism from both the Western and Japanese media about his reluctance to go to Washington.