Yasunori Suezawa

ToyotaDevelopment lead

Chief engineer who reinvented the Vitz as the Yaris and also led development of the GR86

Timeline

1991
Joined
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
2001
Toyota Motor Corporation
Product planning division
Toyota Motor Corporation Product planning division
2008
Toyota Motor Corporation
Product Planning Division
Toyota Motor Corporation Product Planning Division
2016
Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer
2020
Yaris Cross 1st generation
2020–presentDevelopment lead
He had the SUV in view while building the Yaris platform
The Yaris Cross was decided at the stage when the Yaris's GA-B platform was being developed. Suezawa has revealed that at that time he obtained approval for development that also had the Yaris Cross in view. Back then, SUVs were mostly big, sturdy vehicles and there were few in the B segment; in Europe, it is said, only the Renault Captur and the Nissan Juke were popular, especially with women. What Suezawa aimed for was a car that met the uses of an SUV, with a big luggage space and the ability to drive on gravel and forest roads, in the smallest possible size.
2020
Yaris 4th generation
2020–presentDevelopment lead
Worked with
Naohiko SaitoDevelopment team member
Not hand-me-downs, everything the latest
The hybrid added to the Vitz was a hand-me-down of the Aqua's system, and people kept saying its fuel economy fell short of the Aqua's and that it was slow to get automatic braking. With the Yaris, Suezawa made nothing a hand-me-down: performance, fuel economy and safety technology were all the latest.
Giving up the Vitz name
When the Starlet's successor was launched, names that sounded good in each region were chosen: Yaris for Europe and Vitz for Japan. The Yaris later became a global brand, and only Japan was still calling it the Vitz. With a new platform and engine, and the Yaris having become known through the WRC as a car that is fun to drive, it was decided to change the name and start afresh.
2021
86 2nd generation GR86
2021–presentDevelopment lead
A designer who lived at Subaru for half a year
For the new GR86, Toyota GAZOO Racing handled vehicle planning and design, and Subaru handled engineering and evaluation. So that the two companies could communicate more easily, a Toyota designer was stationed at Subaru's design development facility for about half a year, and the development team was semi-stationed at Subaru's technical center as they built it.
Chief Engineer, GRZ
Chief Engineer, GRZ