[No. 75] Noritaka Tsuru

I was born in Mexico and grew up in the Central American country of Guatemala until I was 12, what you would call a returnee. My father wanted to raise me to be a global citizen, so he sent me to an American school instead of a Japanese one. However, this was only a little over 20 years after the war, and I had a truly difficult childhood, being bullied by American students at school who called me a "Jap."

Even in those circumstances, it was the cool cars that brought pure excitement and emotion to my young heart. I was captivated by the sight of cool cars like the Mustang, Camaro, and Mercury Cougar in the parking lots of shopping centers and golf courses. And so, I resolved in my child's mind, "I'm going to have a job developing cars in the future!"

When I returned to Japan in my upper elementary school years, the country was in an era of rapid motorization. I was enthusiastic about cars like the Toyota Celica, Nissan Skyline, and Mitsubishi Galant GTO, and I also found beauty in the design of compact cars like the Mitsubishi Mirage. I was also struck by the designs of Italy's Giorgetto Giugiaro, which helped me cultivate an appreciation for functional beauty that combines practicality with a sporty and cool look.

I went on to Keio Senior High School and then directly to the university. Without hesitation, I entered the Department of Mechanical Engineering and majored in fluid engineering in Professor Tsuneyo Ando's laboratory. I chose to major in fluid dynamics not because I was interested in powertrains, but rather because I was more interested in achieving a balance between design and function (functional beauty), and I thought that studying fluid dynamics would be useful for developing the aerodynamic performance of car bodies. I chose "Fluid Analysis of a Delta Wing" as my research theme and verified my simulations while sailing a yacht in Shonan. I also learned a great deal from Professor Sawada, who was a senior in my lab at the time, and from Professor Nagasaka, who was a senior in my club during high school.

My student life in college also revolved around cars. With my classmates Junichiro Kuwabara and Shinichi Nagaoka, I bought a used Toyota HiAce for 80,000 yen, converted it into a vanning van ourselves, and during the summer vacation, we traveled around Hokkaido "until we ran out of money."

After completing my master's degree in 1982, I joined Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. I was in charge of areas such as body design and engine room layout, and participated in projects like the S13 Silvia and the R32 Skyline GTR. Later, I was assigned to the UK as one of the first members to launch the European Technology Centre, where I was responsible for the local adaptation of the Primera and March for the UK market, as well as the local development of the Mistral.

After returning to Japan, I was in charge of RV vehicle development, but I was disappointed with the company's policy to scale back its overseas operations. It was then that I was strongly recruited by Mr. Takashi Izawa, the president of Opel Japan at the time, and I moved to the foreign-affiliated GM Japan. It was a transition from a technical field to the unknown world of marketing. At that time, in an effort to sell cars from Opel, GM's German subsidiary, in Japan, we launched the first-ever internet homepage for an automobile company in Japan and asked Tsuyoshi Takashiro to develop an online entertainment site called Frankie Online.

One day, while smoking in the smoking area on the 27th floor of Yebisu Garden Place, where my office was located, I struck up a conversation with a German gentleman. When I told him that I had worked on body design and vehicle layout in Nissan's development department, he suddenly said, "Give me your business card." The following week, I received an offer from Opel's development center to be the chief engineer for the "AGILA" joint venture project with Suzuki. That gentleman was the Vice President of Development for Opel at the time. Life is full of strange coincidences. I found myself back in the development department again.

I was then assigned to the development center in Germany for the launch of the AGILA, and together with engineers from Suzuki and Opel, we achieved a simultaneous launch in Poland (Opel) and Hungary (Suzuki).

After that, I leveraged my experience at Nissan and Suzuki to take charge of business process reform and cost management reform at Opel, receiving three GM Chairman's Awards over a period of five years.

A chance reunion in Germany at the Frankfurt Motor Show with my former boss from when I left Nissan led to my return to the company after a nine-year absence. I was told it was unprecedented, but at the time, my feelings toward Nissan were like those for "someone I still loved but had parted ways with," so I was happy. But really, you never know what life has in store.

I returned to Nissan in 2004 and was appointed Chief Vehicle Engineer for the global entry car project the following year in 2005. This was a massive project to develop a profitable lineup of compact cars on a global scale. I was in charge of the arduous development for four years until April 2009, and this year, the first product in the lineup, the new Nissan March

was launched as Thailand's first government-certified eco-car. It is scheduled for a sequential global rollout. The new March is a fantastic car that, while significantly improving all aspects of performance including fuel efficiency, has also had its weight substantially reduced, ensuring outstanding maneuverability for zipping around town and high-speed stability for confident driving even on Germany's Autobahn.

Currently, I am in charge of the Vehicle Project Purchasing Department, where I am responsible for project cost management for Nissan vehicles worldwide.

I have dedicated my life to cars, but I feel that I have come this far thanks to the six years I spent at Keio University, where I honed my sensibilities in a free-spirited atmosphere, studied mechanical engineering, and learned the importance of human connections.

I feel that life is about contributing to the world by seeing through the things you want to do. To my juniors studying at Keio University, I hope you will identify what you want to do, crystallize your vision for the future, and strive to make it a reality.