Suzuki Hustler 2nd generation (MR52S/MR92S)

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".

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.