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Takayasu Honda

Takayasu Honda

ToyotaDevelopment lead

Worked full-time on the switch to front-wheel drive for the fifth-generation Corolla, and was development lead of the eighth generation

Timeline

  1. 1968

    Joined

    Toyota Motor Corporation

  2. 1977

    Toyota Motor Corporation Product Planning

  3. 2F Liaison Group

    Development team member

    Models it produced

    Learning front-wheel drive's strength in Europe

    European homologation testing before the fourth-generation Corolla's launch happened to be held jointly with the front-wheel-drive Tercel. Honda learned the hard way that in the European way of driving, front-wheel drive had the advantage in this class, and reported it to chief engineer Agetsuma. He was eventually told to work full-time on making the next Corolla front-wheel drive, and to speed up the delayed switch, the Corolla team acted as secretariat and formed the 2F Liaison Group with development members from the Tercel, Camry and Corona. He drew up a bold plan for shared parts, such as a common rear for the Camry and Corona and a common front for the Corona and Corolla.

  4. 1995
    Corolla 8th generation
    Corolla 8th generation

    1995–2002Development lead

    Worked with

    Shaping up: slim and healthy

    Development of the eighth generation came right after the bubble burst, and cost had to be kept firmly in mind. Cut too much and the car would feel cheap. Wanting to trim the fat from cars that had grown heavy and expensive during the bubble while keeping what was needed, Honda made "Shape up, slim and healthy!" the team's watchword. Because of local production in North America, the overseas models switched two years later, so he reorganized the plan to treat the domestic minor change two years on and the new overseas model together as the "8.5th generation."

Connections

Takayasu Honda

Takayasu Honda

  • Fumio Agetsuma

    Fumio Agetsuma

    Superior

    Honda moved to Corolla product planning as a staff member attached to chief engineer Agetsuma, and some time after the fourth-generation Corolla came out, Agetsuma told him to "work on development dedicated to FF" so that the next Corolla would be front-wheel drive.

Profile

Development lead for the eighth-generation Corolla. He moved to Corolla product planning as a staff member attached to chief engineer (development lead) Agetsuma, and worked full-time on switching the fifth-generation Corolla to front-wheel drive.

Translated from Japanese sources.

Toyota engineers

All Toyota engineers