Following months of denials and delays, Toyota's worldwide chief has made an unprecedented appearance before a US congressional panel. <br /><br />Akio Toyoda, the chief executive of the world's largest carmaker, apologised in front of legislators for the company's slow response to potentially deadly defects.<br /><br />He told them the company his grandfather started more than 70 years ago had "confused" its priorities, becoming more concerned with growth than safety.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports from Washington (25 Feb 2010).
