CarGene
Masao Kobori

Image: Matti Blume / CC BY-SA 4.0

Masao Kobori

SuzukiDevelopment lead

Chief engineer of the third-generation Swift who also oversaw the fourth generation, aiming to widen its appeal beyond its predecessor's sporty image

Timeline

  1. 2017
    Swift 3rd generation (ZC13S)
    Swift 3rd generation (ZC13S)

    2017–2023Development lead

    Like a feline predator

    The third-generation Swift got an all-new platform and was about 120 kg lighter than the generation before. Knowing that a much lighter car would drive very differently, Kobori tried to express the whole car, including its design, as one. To bring out its "driving" and "strength", he asked the designers to draw something muscular that evokes a feline predator.

    Suzuki

  2. 2023
    Swift 4th generation (ZCDDS)
    Swift 4th generation (ZCDDS)

    2023–presentDevelopment lead

    Worked with

    "This isn't it"

    The previous model had a fixed image of sportiness, so first-time car buyers and their families often thought "this isn't it" and did not consider it. The safety equipment it had adopted early was overtaken in features by other makers' cars that were redesigned later. What Kobori aimed for with the new model was not an image change, but to widen its appeal.

  3. 2024

    Chief Engineer, Automobile Product Department 2, Product Planning Division

Profile

Chief engineer in Automobile Product Department No. 2 of Suzuki's product planning division. He led the development of the new Swift, and had also served as chief engineer of the previous Swift.

Translated from Japanese sources.

Suzuki engineers

All Suzuki engineers