Shigeki Terashi

Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation Product planning division

Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota Center 1Executive Chief Engineer, ZS

Crown 13th generation

2008–2012Development lead

Measuring fatigue in urine

Taking crash safety and preventive safety for granted in a Crown, Terashi built the 13th generation on the idea of driving-safety support, making a car that is less likely to cause mistakes in the first place. Believing that the more comfortable and less tiring a car is, the more the driver can concentrate, he used urinary adrenaline concentration as a measure of fatigue for the first time. Measuring drivers before and after driving showed it was about 30% lower than with the previous model. It was also the first time at Toyota that a car was developed with a numerical standard set for invisible fatigue.

Not compared with European cars

Car evaluations tend to come down to how a car compares with its European rivals, but Terashi believed the Crown is not a car to be talked about by that yardstick. As a Japanese luxury car it should go its own way and surpass itself. In that sense, he thought, showing a new standard of reduced fatigue had value.

Managing Officer

Senior Managing OfficerDirector and Senior Managing Officer

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