CarGene
Takeshi Uchiyamada

Image: Website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan / CC BY 4.0

Takeshi Uchiyamada

ToyotaDevelopment lead

Led development of the first Prius and later became chairman of Toyota

Timeline

  1. 1969

    Joined

    Toyota Motor Corporation

  2. 1994

    Toyota Motor Corporation Planning Department 2, Development Center 2Chief engineer (shusa)

  3. 1996

    Chief Engineer

  4. 1997
    Prius 1st generation
    Prius 1st generation

    1997–2003Development lead

    A big step toward the 21st century

    As resource and environmental problems grew serious, the first Prius was built as an entirely new car looking ahead to how society would change. Uchiyamada's concept was a four-door car of just the right size, with the essential qualities of a car, that also squarely met the requirements of the 21st century. Development stood on three pillars: a people-friendly package, an advanced interior and exterior design to wrap it, and a hybrid system that takes resources and the environment into account.

  5. 1998

    Director

  6. 2001

    Managing Director

  7. 2003

    Senior Managing Director

  8. 2005

    Representative Director and Executive Vice President

  9. 2012

    Representative Director and Vice Chairman

  10. 2013

    Representative Director and Chairman

  11. 2015

    Representative Director

  12. 2017

    Chairman

  13. 2023

    Toyota Genesis Research InstituteExecutive FellowRepresentative Director

  14. 2025

    Senior Advisor

Connections

    Takeshi Uchiyamada

    Takeshi Uchiyamada

    • Akihiko Otsuka

      Akihiko Otsuka

      Subordinate

      In the vibration testing section, where Otsuka was first assigned after joining Toyota, his direct section manager was Uchiyamada.

    • Satoshi Ogiso

      Satoshi Ogiso

      Subordinate

      Ogiso, who had volunteered to join the G21 project that led to the first-generation Prius, stayed on the project after the formal project team was launched with Uchiyamada as its chief.

    • Tetsuya Tada

      Tetsuya Tada

      SubordinateAdvisee

      While Tada was holding a test-drive event for the 86 in Spain, Uchiyamada telephoned him and ordered, "Go to Munich tomorrow, and don't tell anyone."

      After repeated studies that included the powertrain combination, Tada also went to consult Uchiyamada and President Toyoda, but was told, "That's still a little too early."

    Profile

    From Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture. Graduated from Nagoya University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Applied Physics in 1969. Development lead (chief engineer) of the first-generation Prius (NHW10/11). He became project general manager of the Second Planning Department at Toyota's Second Development Center (front-wheel-drive passenger cars), and that same year became development lead for the first-generation Prius. He later served as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation.

    Translated from Japanese sources.

    Toyota engineers

    All Toyota engineers