CarGene
Takeshi Yoshida

Takeshi Yoshida

ToyotaDevelopment lead

Development lead of the ninth-generation Corolla, sold worldwide, who set out to break away from the Corollas of the past

Timeline

  1. 1974

    Joined

    Toyota Motor Corporation

  2. 1984

    Toyota Motor Corporation Product Planning

  3. 1997

    Toyota Motor Corporation Corolla product planning

  4. 2000
    Corolla 9th generation
    Corolla 9th generation

    2000–2017Development lead

    From zero, amid debate over changing the name

    Development of the ninth generation began after the bubble economy burst, when the Corolla's very reason for being was in question, and there was even debate about changing its name. Overseas production was also growing, and it was time for the Corolla, centered on Japan until then, to look overseas. Yoshida decided to build a Corolla for a new era from zero, respecting tradition without being bound by it, and made success in sales worldwide his top mission.

    The big room, once a week

    The ninth generation pursued cost reduction through what was called Excellent Quality (EQ) activities. In one of them, the "big room" activity, people from engine, chassis, procurement and the plants met once a week to dig into and discuss the next week's issues. The activity spread overseas as well, leading to cost cuts such as unifying the commercial characters that had differed from country to country.

  5. 2003

    Managing Officer

  6. 2008

    Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd.Representative Director and Executive Vice President

  7. 2010

    Toyota Technical Development CorporationRepresentative Director and President

Connections

Takeshi Yoshida

Takeshi Yoshida

  • Shinichi Yasui

    Shinichi Yasui

    Subordinate

    When concept studies for the tenth-generation Corolla began, Yoshida, then chief engineer, sent Yasui on a business trip abroad, telling him, "You probably don't know anything about the Corolla, so go overseas and take a good look."

Profile

Chief engineer (CE) of the ninth-generation Corolla. He took it on after serving as CE of the Soluna, a model sold only in Southeast Asia.

Translated from Japanese sources.

Toyota engineers

All Toyota engineers