Nobuaki Katayama is a Japanese automotive engineer and former racing driver who was the chief engineer for the first generation

Lexus IS The is a compact executive car sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota since 1999. The IS was originally sold under the nameplate in Japan from 1998 (the word ''Altezza'' is Italian for 'height' or 'highness'). The IS was introduced as an e ...

, the Toyota Altezza in Japan, the first generation Lexus SC 400/ SC 300, and the 4th generation of the

Toyota Supra is a sports car and grand tourer manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation beginning in 1978. The name " supra" is derived from the Latin prefix, meaning "above", "to surpass" or "go beyond". The initial four generations of the Supra were ...

. Previously, he was an engineer on the AE86 project, and also worked for four years on

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Motorsports'

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

and Le Mans programs.

Career

Katayama joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1970, where he spent years working in

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear change ...

design. In 1989, he joined the company's motorsport division. Through the 1990s, Katayama worked in Europe as an executive in Toyota's Motorsports division, where he assisted in

, Sports Car World Championship, and Le Mans racing. He also competed in rallies and other races. From 1994 onward, he worked as the chief engineer of the fourth generation of the

performance coupe. He also worked on the first generation Lexus SC coupes, the SC 400 and SC 300, and then the first

With the first generation Lexus IS, Katayama aimed to build a smaller, more compact Lexus intended for volume sales in the large entry-luxury market, with a front engine/rear drive design. In doing so, Katayama utilized the suspension system of the larger

Lexus GS The is an executive car sold by Lexus, the premium division of Toyota. The same car had been launched in 1991 as the Toyota Aristo in Japan. For non-Japanese markets, it was released as the Lexus GS in February 1993. It continued using the Toyo ...

performance sedans, chronometer instrument displays, and drilled aluminum throttle, brake, and accelerator pedals. The drilled pedals were inspired by his teenage son, who had used such a pedal in his car. The vehicle was also fitted with room for modifications; Katayama's personal Altezza was fitted with a supercharger, stiffer suspension, and lowered height. The resulting design received critical acclaim at its 1998 launch, and was awarded Japan's "

Car of the Year Car of the Year (COTY) is a common abbreviation for numerous automotive awards. The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by ''Motor Trend'' magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of the ...

" honor for 1998-1999. However, Katayama also felt that the design could be further improved, and developed a list of items he suggested be addressed for the second generation Lexus IS design.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katayama, Nobuaki Japanese automotive engineers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Lexus Toyota people