Interviews with Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada

[black-supra]

Got this idea from some other sites I follow. Here's a list of quotes from the engineering lead for the FT1 / Supra - Tetsuya Tada. Maybe every one can help out.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/245671/toyota-supra-nameplate-likely-for-resurrection/

Talking about Toyota president's view on calling a new car Supra.

"Akio has very strong feelings about Supra and all the engineers [have] strong feelings about Supra.” Tada told CarAdvice. “Mr Toyoda said to me that if you want to call it Supra it has to be superior, it has to be super great sports car. Unless it’s a great sports car it wouldn’t be called Supra."

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[black-supra]

http://blog.toyota.co.uk/tada-talks-bmw-dogs-and-drinking-beer

Talking about collaboration with BMW.

“Actually I am flying to Munich after the [Geneva] motor show for discussion about the future cooperation with BMW. We are already discussing what we can do and the potential results of this collaboration. One of the things we learned from our cooperation with Subaru is how to bring these two different cultures together. Something like the GT86 sports car was particularly difficult in terms of collaboration, but what we can take from it is the experience of figuring out how we can get the obstacles to us working together for us. I am hoping that we can leverage this experience when we work with BMW. So just like we bought the GT86 out of our work with Subaru, I am hoping for a synergy effect with BMW that will result in a product that none of us could have imagined; something more than anyone expects. I would like that to be something like a sports car… I would even go so far as to say that for the collaboration to work we have to bring a product which exceeds all these expectations.

 

[black-supra]

http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/toyota-let-loose-two-more-sports-cars-after-86

What's interesting about this quote is the 5 year development period and that Toyota president wants Supra successor asap!

SINGAPORE - The radical new Toyota 86 compact coupé is only the first of three new sports car line-ups that the Japanese carmaker is planning as part of a new business model that seeks to create a bond with buyers.

"The 86 is in the middle but we don't know when the other two will be ready," says Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer of the 86, the first sports car for the Japanese giant carmaker in recent history.

A lightweight 2+2 model, the 86 has a 2.0-litre horizontally opposed engine in front to drive the rear wheels in classic fashion.

Mr Tada continues: "The 86 needed five years to develop, so at least five years is required for the others. A normal passenger car about two to three years. But sports cars need special parts, so it's five years."

Also not determined is whether the other two cars will be coupés or convertibles, or if they will have different engine/drive layouts "because technology changes, so we have to find the best layout". (We now know that both cars will be rear wheel drive).

So it is entirely possible that one of the line-ups could have a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout like the discontinued two-seater MR2 (also called the MR-S in its final iteration).

But one thing is certain - the higher-end sports model is likely to be introduced before the entry-level car.

Mr Tada explains with a smile: "The president (Akio Toyoda) has asked me to make a successor to the Supra as soon as possible." The chief engineer was speaking in Germany at the recent launch of the Toyota 86 Experience to highlight the model's sporty abilities.

"The 86 was not conceived for pure speed but for driving pleasure," he explains.

It was inspired by the AE86 Levin of 1983, the original lightweight Toyota coupé which also happened to be Mr Tada's first car when he joined the firm.

It also has the ability to be extensively customised as per owner's wishes.

"The philosophy of the 86 is that it is an open concept," says Mr Tada.

The conventional way is for the carmaker to produce a car and call it perfect, which means the users don't have to or can't do anything else.

For example, if the rims and tyres are changed, the manufacturer's warranty is void.

Instead, the 86 was created as a car with the potential to change into something the customer wants it to be.

"Why? Because if you ask 100 people what you think of the car, you will get 100 answers. They all have different views," he said.

Hence the open concept, which will satisfy customers because the car evolves with them and make 100 people's dreams come true.

Taking it one step further, Toyota has even made Playstation integration possible.

A black box can record a track day session, and the telemetry downloaded to be played back and shared with other gamers on their Sony Playstation consoles. As a result, the addition of a turbo or supercharger can be simulated to see how it will enhance the naturally aspirated 86's performance.

So far, the success of the 86 has been a surprise, not least of all for rivals Nissan and Honda.

"They realize from the 86's sales that they have to go back to this kind of car. If everybody goes back to their roots, everyone can have a one-make race," says the former racer.

He reveals that Toyota wants to make sports cars again because "it is a very important strategy".

"We have two pillars - an ecological car and driving fun. We must balance these two aims otherwise users won't recognise us a true carmaker."

But Mr Tada notes that the mass production of sports cars has ceased to be a conventional business.

After the financial crisis of 2009, Toyota realised that it could no longer sell cars to dealers to make money because "the car population (was) not going to increase in future".

"So this is a new business model. When customers buy a car, it creates a new bond between the manufacturer and the owner - we do not just profit from selling the car," he said.

 

[black-supra]

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/toyota-gt-86-tetsuya-tada-yoshinori-sasaki-2012-08-24?imageNo=01

Tetsuya Tada (chief engineer) talking about wowing people with next sportscar (FT1) with big power, some driver aids, and likely no hybrid technology.

This new 86 however, is just the beginning of Toyota's sports car renaissance. Soon, there will be an entry-level sports car, and of course, a Big Dog range-topper. You know the name.

"With my next sportscar," explains Tada-san, "I want to make a big... ‘wow'." His arms gesticulate large vortex circles. "Nobody expected us to build something like the GT 86. I want to give the world a shock." Does that mean we are - whisper it - getting a new Supra?

He laughs. Quite loudly. "Of course, anything is possible." Sasaki-san also chirrups in. "With the 86, we didn't want to use driver aids - that's the thinking. But new Supra means big power, so we need something for that. It'll be a different avenue of sports car from the GT 86."

Tantalisingly, neither of them would formulate anything concrete, so it remains as thus: the GT 86 is the hot new thing on the block, and a new Supra is "just one avenue of sports car Toyota could take. There are others too." One thing is for sure however: if Tada-san has his way, the new sports car definitely won't be a hybrid.

"Our LMP1 programme gave us a good insight into hybrid performance, but for me, I think current hybrid technology is not good for road sports cars. I don't really want that." I inform him about the cosmically-quick Porsche 918 Spyder - built by a company both he and Sasaki greatly admire from an engineering perspective - and he laughs again. "That's a very good hybrid drivetrain, but it's for the man who has an unlimited amount of money. I don't like that. I want to build a car that everybody can afford, a car for the ordinary people, not something that requires too much money." A champion of the everyday petrolhead, no?

It's certainly a vibe that emanates from the pair of them - just a couple of petrolheads doing something they love. As Sasaki-san regales, he was initiated into the School of Performance at an early age - specifically with the GT 86's granddaddy. "My father was a Toyota engineer, in charge of the very first Corolla Levin. He brought it home one day and asked if I wanted to join him on a test drive. It was the first time that I've been in a car that was so fast; I was pushed back into my seat. Then I decided - I will buy this car one day."

Buy it? He's only gone and built it.

 

[black-supra]

http://www.motoring.com.au/news/201...ra-successor-to-remain-rear-wheel-drive-38128

Tada san again. Talking about Supra name, RWD, and vs GT-R.

Toyota has announced that its long awaited successor to the iconic Supra will be rear-wheel drive, though the nameplate is yet to be locked-in.

The top-tier sports model, which will sit above the 86 in Toyota’s line-up.

Speaking at a media event in Canberra last week, chief engineer of the 86, Tetsuya Tada, told motoring.com.au that ‘Supra’ was just one of the names considered for the upcoming performance flagship.

“The Supra successor is an upper-crust sportscar, and the Supra name is just one candidate for that successor,” said Tada-san.

Tada-san said the nameplate was before a committee and he could not yet say what others badges were being considered. He did, however, confirm that the model would remain rear-wheel drive and that Toyota was not seeking to chase Nurburgring lap times, a la Nissan GT-R.

“The GT-R is a car that is clearly focussed on speed, on lap times. We don’t want to chase the same direction,” explained Tada-san.

“Toyota’s philosophy is always [one of] fun. Fun is more important to the driver, and I’d prefer the driver sense that enjoyment than [focus on] lap time.”

Driver enjoyment appears to be paramount in the decision to adhere to a rear-wheel drive layout too. Tada-san, the man behind the development of the rear-wheel drive 86 said it was his belief that to enjoy the car to its fullest, that one powertrain layout was only ever under consideration.

“The idea has always been to have rear-wheel drive. It’s the most fun layout,” he laughed.

 

[S O B]

These are awesome I've only ever read one of them before. This gotta be my favorite... WOW!

"With my next sportscar," explains Tada-san, "I want to make a big... ‘wow'." His arms gesticulate large vortex circles. "Nobody expected us to build something like the GT 86. I want to give the world a shock." Does that mean we are - whisper it - getting a new Supra? He laughs. Quite loudly. "Of course, anything is possible." Sasaki-san also chirrups in. "With the 86, we didn't want to use driver aids - that's the thinking. But new Supra means big power, so we need something for that. It'll be a different avenue of sports car from the GT 86."

 

[Boomshakalaka]

Thanks for posting these @black-supra.

Tada is my idol.

It's been quiet in last few months though. Speak up Tada san plz.

 

[FRS-Man]

Thanks for posting these, some i've never read before.

 

[supraninja]

Tada-san is indeed the man.

 

[FRS-Man]

Tada-san is indeed the man.

Dont forget Toyoda too. He heads the company but he's a real racing and sportscar enthusiast. The man raced in the 24 hr race at Nurburgring in the LFA.

 

[NeroZ]

Don't forget Yukihiko Yaguchi who worked on generations I thru IV of the Supra.

From Wikipedia:

After he graduated from the university, Yaguchi took part in an entry exam at Toyota and started to work with the company. One of his first projects was the design of the Toyota Supra. He worked on the Supra Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 3 and Mark 4. Around 2000 (before the IS F project started) Toyota came up with a car named the Chaser. Yaguchi designed this car as a mix between a luxury car and a very sporty car. The car that resulted had the suspension and the engine of the Supra. This car can now be seen as predecessor of the Lexus IS F.

 

[black-supra]

Don't forget Yukihiko Yaguchi who worked on generations I thru IV of the Supra.

From Wikipedia:

After he graduated from the university, Yaguchi took part in an entry exam at Toyota and started to work with the company. One of his first projects was the design of the Toyota Supra. He worked on the Supra Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 3 and Mark 4. Around 2000 (before the IS F project started) Toyota came up with a car named the Chaser. Yaguchi designed this car as a mix between a luxury car and a very sporty car. The car that resulted had the suspension and the engine of the Supra. This car can now be seen as predecessor of the Lexus IS F.

We're talking about the top people in Toyota that have an impact on the next Supra though. Is Yaguchi involved too? Would be a cool connection to previous Supras.

 

[S O B]

Yaguchi also oversaw the design of the IS F.

 

[Supraman]

Yukihiko Yaguci is the chief engineer of the Lexus RC-F as well. Wouldn't mind if he or Tada-San headed the FT-1 project...heck it would be awesome if both were involved.

 

[JohnnyTX]

Yukihiko Yaguci is the chief engineer of the Lexus RC-F as well. Wouldn't mind if he or Tada-San headed the FT-1 project...heck it would be awesome if both were involved.

I thought Tada was heading up the joint Toyota-BMW (FT-1) project, judging from his comments made about meeting up with the people at BMW.

From one of the quotes above:

“Actually I am flying to Munich after the [Geneva] motor show for discussion about the future cooperation with BMW. We are already discussing what we can do and the potential results of this collaboration. One of the things we learned from our cooperation with Subaru is how to bring these two different cultures together. Something like the GT86 sports car was particularly difficult in terms of collaboration, but what we can take from it is the experience of figuring out how we can get the obstacles to us working together for us. I am hoping that we can leverage this experience when we work with BMW. So just like we bought the GT86 out of our work with Subaru, I am hoping for a synergy effect with BMW that will result in a product that none of us could have imagined; something more than anyone expects. I would like that to be something like a sports car… I would even go so far as to say that for the collaboration to work we have to bring a product which exceeds all these expectations.

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