Toyota's Chief Test Driver Dies in Highway Crash
Hiromu Naruse, Toyota’s chief test driver, died Wednesday in a head-on collision on a two-lane highway in Germany. He was driving the Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition near its namesake, the famous Nurburgring, an undulating racetrack that automakers use to test their vehicles.
Naruse, 67, was killed in the accident with a BMW (also driven by a test
driver) close to Toyota’s workshop near the circuit. The driver and passenger in the BMW were seriously injured. A Toyota spokesperson in Japan said the company is still trying to confirm details of the accident.
"We are shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Hiromu Naruse," the spokesperson said. "Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Naruse’s family, and we wish to express our sincere sympathy to the other people involved in the accident."
Naruse joined Toyota in 1963 in the Vehicle Evaluation and Engineering Division. He had been involved with Toyota Motorsports since 1970 and was an important figure in the development of Toyota sports cars, from the 2000GT to the Lexus LFA, the new supercar with a retail price of $350,000 scheduled to go into production late this year. He was also the personal driving mentor of Toyota’s global president, Akio Toyoda.
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