CarGene
Naoyuki Sakamoto

Naoyuki Sakamoto

ToyotaDevelopment lead

Timeline

  1. 2023
    Corolla GR Corolla
    Corolla GR Corolla

    2023–presentDevelopment lead

    Worked with

    "This won't do. Think from zero."

    Early in development, the car was tested with the same engine as the GR Yaris. But the drivers taking part in development said it "has no power," and President Toyoda himself halted development, saying, "This won't do. Think from zero." Sakamoto believed that getting more output would mean rebuilding a 2.0-liter turbo, adding years to development. The one who offered a hand was the chief engineer for engine development, who had also worked on the hydrogen Corolla. The GR Yaris running in Super Taikyu was already making 304 PS and 400 Nm, and the team knew which parts would break in mass production, so the car could be given the 304 PS engine.

    Measuring parts and letting AI choose the combinations

    Like the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla is built at the GR Factory, the line dedicated to GR cars at the Motomachi plant. Every part varies a little (its tolerance), and pairing a part that is -3 from spec with one that is +3 brings the tolerance to zero. According to Sakamoto, to get the intended performance exactly as designed, each part is measured and AI instantly optimizes how they are combined. Not a single part is thrown away.

    Toyota

Profile

An engineer at Toyota Motor Corporation who served as chief engineer of the GR Corolla.

Translated from Japanese sources.

Toyota engineers

All Toyota engineers