| Mazda Appoints New R&D Chief
Jiro Maebayashi has been appointed head of European research and development for the Japanese manufacturer.
Mazda Motor Europe recently announced the appointment of Jiro Maebayashi, currently General Manager of the Basic Design Department in Hiroshima HQ, to Vice President of Mazda’s European Research and Development Centre (MRE) in Oberursel, near Frankfurt.
Mr. Maebayashi replaces Kiyoshi Fujiwara, who has held the position since March 2003. Mr. Fujiwara will take over as General Manager of the Product Planning and Business Strategy Division at company headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan.
Mr. Maebayashi, 58, has worked for Mazda Motor Corporation for 33 years, holding a variety of positions, including Manager and General Manager positions at Mazda’s Research and Development Centres in the US and in Yokohama, Japan. Prior to this, he was Chief Programme Engineer for the first generation of the Mazda Demio and was a key developing engineer for the first and second generation of the rotary-engine legend Mazda RX-7.
“I’d like to thank Kiyoshi Fujiwara for the exemplary way he lead our R&D centre these past two years,” said James Muir, President and CEO Mazda Motor Europe, “and there is no better person to succeed him than Jiro Maebayashi. He has held management positions in all our regional R & D centres and brings a wealth of experience and insight in product development, especially for small cars and sports cars. With him at the helm, our R&D organization will continue to ensure that Mazda vehicles meet the demands of European customers.”
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