CarGene
Hideaki Takenaka

Hideaki Takenaka

SuzukiDevelopment lead

Development lead of the 2025 minor change of the ninth-generation Alto, who aimed to make it "drive without any sense of discomfort" by raising body rigidity with adhesive

Timeline

  1. 1994

    Joined

  2. 2020
    Hustler 2nd generation
    Hustler 2nd generation

    2020–presentDevelopment lead

    Scrapping the design just before the prototype

    Takenaka came from vehicle-performance testing, and the Hustler was the first car he led as chief engineer. The biggest crisis in development came when the design was overturned just as a full-size model had been made and the team was about to build prototypes. An executive asked him how he could fail to take a chance himself on a car meant to make people feel adventurous. When the team looked at the market again, they noticed outdoor gear making its way into everyday life, and they set the direction to be "more like an SUV".

    Backing a square shape with performance

    On a kei car, a square shape makes the panels flat, which tends to hurt performance. Takenaka brought in new body technologies such as structural adhesive, high-damping mastic sealer and a ring-shaped frame structure, and put his effort into exceeding the previous model's performance. He says that to make the performance work without sacrificing the design, he pulled in people from engineering and production through to testing.

  3. 2025
    Alto 9th generation
    Alto 9th generation

    2021–presentDevelopment leadfrom Jul. 2025

    Worked with

    A car that raises no question marks

    Takenaka defined the basis of the Alto as a car for customers who want low price and low fuel consumption along with peace of mind and safety, and on top of that aimed to make it "drive without any sense of discomfort." Before the update, the body felt a little soft, as if it twisted. To raise rigidity, structural adhesive was used around the door openings, including the back door, and damping adhesive around the floor, and the power steering was retuned. He describes the ideal kei car as "a car that doesn't make you think 'huh?' or 'hmm?' when you drive it."

Connections

Hideaki Takenaka

Hideaki Takenaka

    Profile

    Development lead for the Alto. In the Alto's minor change, he was responsible for improving body rigidity and fuel economy.

    Translated from Japanese sources.

    Suzuki engineers

    All Suzuki engineers