Ichiro Terui

Rethinking the essence of the sedan in the US

In developing the new Inspire, Terui and his team aimed not for an evolution of the past model but for a sedan with a new theme, "touring luxury." Based in the US, where midsize sedans from Japan, the US and Europe all compete, they rethought the essence of the sedan through how cars fit into daily life, the varied weather of a vast country, and all kinds of driving situations. They aimed for a high level of driving joy, the kind that makes you still want to hold the wheel after a long drive.