Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

===What the Japanese Bayberry Trees Have Seen===   27. Birth of the Red Dragonfly  <continued>    In another coincidence, that same day was Kigensetsu, a holiday during the war when we would celebrate the enthronement of the first emperor of Japan. It was abolished as a holiday after the war ended but later reinstated as “National Foundation Day.” So while it was just a weekday back then, it was a day all of us there will remember for the rest of our lives.    General Manager Takai then promptly hopped on the No. 1 machine and rode it to Renjaku-cho in Hamamatsu and delivered it to Yano Trading. In celebration, factory operations were temporarily halted and the approximately 80 employees all lined up on either side of the main gate and clapped until their hands hurt as the first YA-1 rode away.    As we watched the first Akatombo (“Red Dragonfly”) set off toward Hamamatsu, its beautiful exhaust note fading slowly away in the distance, we saw it carrying all our hopes, dreams and efforts valiantly towards an already turbulent and uncertain market, and to a future we could only guess at. I remember how it was an emotional moment for us all.    Photo: The YA-1 was definitely a head-turner back when the only color usually available was black.    <continues>    #Yamaha #RevsyourHeart #motorcycles #racing #manufacturing #engineering #history #design   

#Yamaha is pleased to unveil the latest arrival in its legendary R Series, the 2025 R9, which presents a whole new generation of Supersport. Although marking the beginning of a new chapter, the R9 maintains the iconic Supersport identity, born from Yamaha’s racing DNA, combining the company's proven, race-derived technology and design with the critically acclaimed, triple-cylinder CP3 engine platform which has revolutionised the Yamaha brand over the last decade. The result of this process is a perfectly balanced Supersport model worthy of its status as the R Series flagship, offering usable sports performance on the road, and ample performance for the track. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/dxt_WqN2 #Yamaha #Supersport #R9 #RWorld

We launched the “Dynamic Art Project by Yamaha Motor” to move people‘s hearts through a variety of expressions and content, including objet d’art, videos, and events.  As the first stage of this project, we collaborated with up-and-coming denim apparel brand TOM WORKS.       Concept: 愛着・藍着・逢着 (AICHAKU)  Aichaku, the Japanese word for “fondness” or “attachment,” is born with clothes when the user takes the time to nurture them while enjoying the changes that occur over time. TOM WORKS, which develops apparel centered on denim materials, values this attachment between people and their clothes, and makes their products with this in mind. Yamaha Motor has also been focusing on the potential for aichaku to be born between people and their machines in recent years and has been conducting research to that end. Despite the fact that the two companies are in very different fields, the aichaku concept was born from our common desire to foster that attachment in manufacturing.       Aichaku can also mean “to wear indigo-colored clothes” (indigo is used to dye denim) and “chance encounters” (the correct reading is actually “houchaku”), and it is a common concept for all of the project’s objet d’art, apparel, and videos.       Through the two different fields of clothing and motorcycles, TOM WORKS has reinterpreted and produced various elements, such as the relationships between objects and people, time, and the environment. Through such collaborative works, we hope that they will trigger “chance encounters” among elements that would not come into contact otherwise.       -- TOM WORKS  --  Established in 2020, this a high-quality denim brand uses Okayama denim and is committed to a completely made-to-order domestic production system. It focuses on elegant designs inspired by vintage workwear.       TOM WORKS Collaborative Website  https://lnkd.in/g7AkB6AK       Instagram   https://lnkd.in/gjCXJs25      #Yamaha #RevsyourHeart #fashion #denim #jeans #MadeInJapan #collaboration #motorcycles #crossindustry #Japan #apparel 

The team has already packed up and is heading for the next round in Australia, but Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, and wildcard entry Remy Gardner took a bit of a detour before they headed to Motegi for the MotoGP™ race last weekend.     This marked the first time for Yamaha’s MotoGP stars to visit the new Yamaha E-Ride Base in Yokohama’s Minatomirai district, where they toured the facility, talked with Yamaha Motor employees, and got fired up for the Japan GP.     #Yamaha #RevsyourHeart #racing #motorcycles #MotoGP #Japan #JapanGP 

=== Days Gone By===   Days Spent with Cars – 11. After the Toyota 2000GT    Shortly after production of the 2000GT started, cost reduction measures were examined. To lower costs we would need to sell more vehicles and Toyota Motor Sales Company felt that because the Japanese domestic market alone didn’t have the numbers, we had to consider exporting them overseas with a focus on the U.S. However, it was also said that if the price wasn’t less than $4,000 (1.44 million yen at the time), selling a sports car in the U.S. market was impossible.    As a result, we had to come up with a different version of the car with lower specifications, so project planning began on a new, more affordable sports car that shared its exterior appearance with the 2000GT.    Taking the unpainted body of a 2000GT in mid-production, a mock-up was created by Kanto Auto Works. At first, the most likely proposal had Yamaha in charge of engine and chassis production while Kanto Auto Works handled the bodywork and completion of the car. But after many twists and turns, it was decided that Kanto Auto Works would make the pressed parts and Yamaha would do everything else to build the car, and we began discussing and devising the pre-production specifics.    However, the investment required for the factory and equipment turned out to be quite a sum, and Toyota Motor Sales was also uncertain if they could meet the sales target. In the end, Toyota’s board of directors didn’t approve the plan, ending our dream of mass-producing sports cars. Had that proposal back then been approved, it likely would have had a profound impact on Japan’s automobile industry and I feel Yamaha Motor would be a very different company from what it is today.    Photo: The U.S.-market Toyota 2000GT’s interior (prototype shown)    <continues>    #Yamaha #RevsyourHeart #cars #automobiles #automotive #racing #manufacturing #engineering #history #design   

===What the Japanese Bayberry Trees Have Seen===   27. Birth of the Red Dragonfly    When we told the president that there was no way we could meet the January production goal and tried to justify it, he didn’t hold back with his admonishment: “What do you mean we’re a month behind schedule?! We’ve got the capacity to produce 200 bikes a month, so you should be able to produce 50 a week! Figure out a schedule to get them off the line more efficiently. You can’t come up with production plans laden with such hopeful expectations, so stop injecting your optimism into them. And enough of this nonsense of making a few bikes and then stopping all production. I’ll give you until the 15th, but I want a system up and running for producing three, four or more bikes nonstop.”    Our ears were burning after this scolding, but the truth was that the machinery hadn’t been used in years and still wasn’t operating too well. This was one of our most trying hurdles at the time.    From about February 5th onwards though, we were able to begin assembling engines and chassis, although some had to be taken apart again and reassembled to get everything right.    Working even on our days off, on the 8th we assembled engines No. 1 and 2, but the stoppers for the shift cam plates were missing so they had to come apart again and it wasn’t until the 11th that the first machine was completed. That “first complete machine” actually used the No. 2 engine as well as the No. 2 chassis.    Coincidentally, motorcycle journalist Heikichi Ito was visiting the factory that day and we promptly handed the bike over to him for a test ride. He said the YA-1’s handling and stability was incredible because he was able to scrape the footpegs in the turns. President Kawakami also rode the bike, pronounced it satisfactory and personally stamped the engine with the “No. 1” engraving. There weren’t many people in attendance and it was a very simple ceremony, but looking back, this was a very significant moment in Yamaha Motor history.    Photo: A closeup of the YA-1’s engine    <continues>    #Yamaha #RevsyourHeart #motorcycles #racing #manufacturing #engineering #history #design 

IWATA, October 3, 2024 - Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo:7272) announced today that the Company will update its employee uniforms in Japan starting from October 2024.    This will be the first full model change of the uniforms in about 40 years, since 1982. The planning and development of the new uniforms, the third generation since the original, involved a large number of employees from the initial concept to the design and specification discussions.    The new uniforms, which pursue high in safety and work quality, consist of a jacket, pants, and cap, all predominantly black. They feature a 3D structure using lightweight, stretchable fabric that allows for ease of movement, well-thought details such as various functional pockets for workplace comfort, and a sophisticated design that shines both individually and collectively.  During development, feedback and requests were gathered from a broad range of employees, including those of different genders, ages, and job roles, such as manufacturing and office workers. Fourteen prototype designs were created based on this input. The most popular prototype was selected by an online vote open to all employees in the domestic group companies. The design and specifications were further improved before finalized, incorporating more than 10,000 comments and requests, including those gathered during internal exhibitions and from wear-testers.     The new uniforms are designed to enable each individual to work with more vitality and pride in the ever-changing work environment, including the diversity of work styles, the workforce, and the impacts of climate change and workplace conditions.  

IWATA, October 2, 2024 - Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announced today its partnership in the development of a new electric sports coupe, referred to as 'Project V,' being led by Caterham EVo Limited, a UK-based subsidiary of VT Holdings Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture). The collaboration aims to advance the project toward mass production and commercialization. Project V is a development project for an electric sports coupe that inherits Caterham's DNA, which prioritizes driving pleasure with the principles of light-weight, simple and fun-to-drive. Caterham initially unveiled the concept car for Project V at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK in July 2023 and later at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2024. Currently, in collaboration with Tokyo R&D Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, hereafter referred to as Tokyo R&D), they are progressing with the development and production of a prototype vehicle, targeting completion around mid-2025, with a view toward mass production and commercialization. Yamaha Motor is independently developing the e-axle, a key component of the electric powertrain, and will supply its trial model for the prototype. In terms of vehicle motion control, we will also provide the technologies and expertise, aiming to realize "Caterham Powered by Yamaha Motor." Yamaha Motor has set a companywide environmental goal to achieve carbon neutrality in Scope 3* emissions by 2050. We are engaged in the development of advanced small and lightweight electric powertrains, which is the company's strength, and in March 2024, we announced the entry into the Formula E World Championship. To create a more sustainable world, Yamaha Motor will continue promoting the research and development of technologies that contribute to sustainability.

=== Days Gone By===   Days Spent with Cars – 10. The Toyota 2000GT Debuts with a World Record!  <continued>    Yamaha’s organizational setup for developing and producing the Toyota 2000GT was as follows:  2nd Engineering Division  General Manager, Chikara Yasukawa  Administration Dept. Manager, Tsuneaki Sugiura  Engine Design Dept. Manager, Yoshinori Endo  Chassis Design Dept. Manager, Hitoshi Hanakawa  Research Dept. Manager, Shunji Tanaka    Automobile Manufacturing Division  General Manager, Takehiko Hasegawa  Production Technology Dept. Manager, Takehiko Hasegawa *Concurrent post  Production Dept. Manager, Masahiko Fukuda  Quality Control Dept. Manager, Minoru Yokoyama  Prototype Dept. Manager, Jinpei Kawai    We built a total of 337 vehicles over the entire production run, 218 of which were sold in Japan while 102 were sold overseas, mostly in the U.S. An additional 17 special-purpose cars were produced. Production of the 2000GT came to an end after three years in October 1970.    Thinking about it now I feel a deep disappointment. One, it was simply too early for Japan to release such a high-performance sports car, and two, the project had been launched and run without regard for profitability so it did not last long.    However, the market only had praise for the Toyota 2000GT. Back then, the car won scores of fans even in America, so much so that it earned a spot on America’s list of famous cars. And even today, after more than twenty years, the car commands a staggering price that makes it very difficult to acquire.    Those who participated in this project enjoyed a tremendous sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. We all learned that if you’re truly fired up about the work itself, the job can still be successfully completed even if the working environment like the equipment and conditions aren’t up to par. We still hold get-togethers with the people from Toyota and everybody else at Yamaha who were involved in the project to develop the car. I’m sure this is thanks to the unforgettable sense of achievement and the relationships that were forged in those days.    Photo: Yasukawa-san with other members of the development team    <ends>    #Yamaha #RevsyourHeart #cars #automobiles #automotive #racing #manufacturing #engineering #history #design