Automotive designs
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Part of Matano's history with Mazda in the years 1983–2002 was spent on the design of the Mazda MX-5 Miata with fellow designer C. Mark Jordan.
Tom Matano | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tsutomu Matano Nagasaki, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Mazda's chief designer |
| Employer(s) | Mazda North American Operations, Mazda Motor Corporation Japan |
| Known for | Design and R&D of the Mazda MX-5 Miata (NA/NB) and Mazda RX-7 (FD) |
Tsutomu "Tom" Matano is an advertising agent, automotive designer, and automotive journalist. Matano was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and continued to live in Japan until after his studies in university. He began an Analysis Engineering Major at Seikei University in Tokyo, Japan, in April 1965 and graduated in March 1969. Following his graduation, Matano moved to the United States in September 1970 [1] via his uncle's container ship, landing himself in Seattle, then to Los Angeles, and finally New York City.
Once in America, he continued his education with a semester of language school, ditching plans to transfer to Environmental Design, and graduated in 1974 for a job in Detroit with General Motors. Consequently, due to Matano's work visa and the rising oil crisis, GM moved him to Australia to work for Holden Design alongside Phillip Zmood, mostly working on the GM Holden Torana, departing in 1977 for Germany and BMW in Munich, Germany.
In 1983, Matano joined Mazda as Chief Designer for Mazda North American Operations, then moved up to become the Vice President of Design and eventually the Executive Vice President of Western Operations for Mazda R&D North America, Inc., as well as the Executive Designer and Director of Mazda North American Operations. [2] In his career with Mazda, his notable designs stand out in many vehicles, such as the Mazda RX-7, Mazda MX-5, the Miata "M-Coupe" concept car, and numerous other projects with his large group of design teams he created.
In recent times,[ when? ] Matano works as a journalist for the Western Automotive Journalists [3]
He also makes an appearance in the World Map mode of Gran Turismo 7
Part of Matano's history with Mazda in the years 1983–2002 was spent on the design of the Mazda MX-5 Miata with fellow designer C. Mark Jordan.
Mazda Motor Corporation, also known as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., a cork-making factory, by Jujiro Matsuda. It changed its name to Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. in 1927 and started producing vehicles in 1931. The name Mazda was derived from Ahura Mazda, the god of harmony, intelligence and wisdom in Zoroastrianism, as well as from the surname of the founder. Mazda is one of the largest automakers in Japan and the world. In 2015, it produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, of which nearly one million were made in Japan and the rest in various other countries. It ranked as the 15th-largest automaker by production volume globally in 2015. Mazda is known for its innovative technologies, such as the Wankel engine, the SkyActiv platform, and the Kodo Design language. It also has a long history of motorsport involvement, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with the rotary-powered Mazda 787B. Mazda has several alliances and partnerships with other automakers, such as Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, Suzuki and Ford.
The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-passenger sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The convertible is marketed as the Mazda Roadster or Eunos Roadster in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata in the United States, and formerly in Canada, where it is now marketed as the MX-5 but is still commonly referred to as Miata.
The Mazda RX-7 is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, rotary engine-powered sports car that was manufactured and marketed by Mazda from 1978 until 2002 across three generations, all of which made use of a compact, lightweight Wankel rotary engine.
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C. Mark Jordan is an automotive designer known for his work with General Motors's Opel division and Mazda North America, including his part in the genesis of the first generation Mazda MX-5 Miata, a car that ultimately became the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history.
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