- Hiromu Naruse, Toyota's chief test driver for the Lexus LFA, was killed in a car crash on Wednesday on a public road near the Nüburgring.
- The LFA Naruse was driving collided with a BMW.
- BMW drivers survived.
NURBURG, Germany — Toyota's chief test driver for the Lexus LFA, a legendary expert dubbed "One and Only Master Craftsman" by rival Ferrari, was killed in a car crash behind the wheel of the LFA on Wednesday on a public road here, according to Toyota. Hiromu Naruse, 67, was said to be deeply involved in developing sports cars for Toyota, including the Toyota 2000GT and the Toyota MR-S.
"We are shocked and saddened at hearing of Hiromu Naruse's sudden passing away," said Toyota in a statement issued on Thursday morning. "Yesterday, Mr. Naruse, a Toyota test driver, was killed in a car accident while testing a Lexus LFA on a road close to the Nüburgring, Germany. 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."
In an e-mailed message to Inside Line, Toyota spokesperson Ming-Jou Chen said: "I don't have any other information at this time, as I believe it's still under investigation."
Reports by German media said the Japanese test driver, who was behind the wheel of a yellow LFA, apparently collided with a test car driven by two BMW test drivers outside the Nüburgring. The BMW drivers reportedly were injured, but were expected to survive. The LFA's front end was accordioned, and it appeared that the driver's airbag had deployed, according to video from the accident scene.
A prototype of a special Nüburgring edition of the LFA has been undergoing testing here. The 2012 LFA, with a suggested retail price of $375,000, is expected to go into production in December with a run of only 500 units. The $70,000 Nüburgring package will be offered on 50 cars, according to media reports.
Inside Line says: A tragedy for Toyota and followers of the LFA. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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compressor says:
03:42 PM, 06/25/2010
There are any number of reasons why this crash could have occurred (mechanical failure, road debris, weather conditions, animals, fatigue, driver error - both normal and reaction to impending crash, etc.). The fact that people here are actually attempting to "pinpoint" the cause based on one single limited range photo, from one angle is strange to say the least.
My sympathy to all those involved and as well as their family members.
ninigto says:
01:26 PM, 06/25/2010
akula1
1. Both cars are in the left lane. Lexus should not be in the left lane. From the picture alone, you cannot tell Lexus was in the right lane and then quickly switched to the left lane. From the picture, to me, Lexus seem to have been traveling on the wrong side of the road well before the impact and did not seem to have made big sudden movement, let alone coming all the way from the right lane to the left.
2. To you, BMW was out of control when making the bend (running too fast, too wide?), yet it managed to hit Lexus in the inner circle? And Lexus made a sudden lane change and it's so straight along the road, on the wrong side? Did I correctly read what you wrote?
3. In Japan, people drive on the left. My Japanese friend tells me he makes that mistake all the time in the US. Don't you think driver from Japan making such a mistake in German road be a possibility?
4. If you say LF-A is more of a sport tuned car and safty is secondary over performance, all the F-1 drivers should be all dead after couple of races. As LF-A is to be driven fast, it should have been made safer at higher speed crash than a mere 3 series sedan. Shame on Toyota. There is no excuse for Toyota in this crash.
bimmerjay says:
01:15 PM, 06/25/2010
"I didn't lambast bimmer for waiting for the facts. I lambasted him for not waiting for not looking at the tell tale signs in the photo and just blindly acceppting the police statement that this was a simple case of the Lexus drifting over and the BMW hitting it straight on."
No final cause has been determined. The German media interview of the authorities said that it appeared that's what happened, they have not come to a conclusion.
By your expert analysis of what appears to be a tire track in a photo (which could be from another car or not even from a tire), you are saying that you can see and explain better than what the on-scene investigators can? Right. Next time a plane crashes I'll call you to prepare the probable cause from the TV footage you see of the scene instead of waiting for the NTSB report. I guess we shouldn't trust those biased experts either.
guy1974 says:
12:49 PM, 06/25/2010
Akula - nice to see that civilised discussion lives on with phrases like "you moron" - you lose the argument right there and then.
So this test driver gave the world some good cars (ignoring the engineers, production staff etc) even though you only list four cars, three of which are relatively speaking historic. That shows how influential this man was. The LF-A may be appreciated by the automotive world - I would hope one Toyota/Lexus product is appreciated for a company that large!
If I got cancer I may get a second opinion but I wouldn`t say let me look at the X-rays and make my own uninformed opinion.
You obviously have a bias since you keep posting on this in a very one sided way - yes I have read your postings. Each and everyone of them so stop spreading slurs and await a formal, official, informed report from people who are actually there. You are thounsands of miles away.
akula1 says:
10:57 AM, 06/25/2010
@bimmerjay
I never claimed to 'know'. I simply submitted a theory that I believe coincides w/ the evidence at hand...the PHOTO! Your first post was that the authorities released a statement that the LFA drifted into the wrong lane and there was a head-on collision and that you accepted that because you trust the 'word' of authorities. Now you claim to be waiting for further evidence and all you do is ignore the only evidence available to you. Maybe your monitor sucks because that photo is not grainy. You can clearly see rubber trails that cross the centerline into oncoming traffic (the LFA's lane) and then stopping where the BMW stopped. This is the third time I have stated this and you have said nothing to refute this. If you get a museum quality wall print of the photo you will still see the tracks behind the BMW! I'm sure you think it's just a coincidence that the trail stops at the accident site. The only people that know what happened are the BMW drivers that are still alive. IF they effed up and are now putting on to the LFA driver I hope they have a nice time living w/ that.
@guy1974-You didn't read the thread so you don't even know what my theory was. If you did you would understand why the Lexus is in the left lane. I didn't lambast bimmer for waiting for the facts. I lambasted him for not waiting for not looking at the tell tale signs in the photo and just blindly acceppting the police statement that this was a simple case of the Lexus drifting over and the BMW hitting it straight on. If you read what I said further down you might understand that there are reasons to suspect the police statement maybe inaccurate. I was the one looking for evidence here, Bimmer's facts and evidence is accepting the 'word' of the police. Its funny that there is a picture anyone here can look at to judge for themselves and we should just not look and 'trust' authorities. BTW, is you and bimmer were diagnosed w/ cancer by your doctor I'm sure you would just take his word for it and not seek another opinion.
As for you not understanding why the man that gave us the 2000gt, Supra, MR-S, LF-A is appreciated in the automotive world (Ferrari included) indicates you are a complete moron.
@ninigto-You obviously didn't read what I said about why the Lexus is in the left lane. Try reading the whole tread. A 3300lb sports car and a 3800lb sedan (+2 drivers) are not in the same class. Its irrelevant anyway. I'm actually inclined to believe bimmers theory about age being a factor in not handling the impact well.
Anyway, I'm done talking to people that don't read threads, don't look at photos and can't think for themselves.
bimmerjay says:
08:57 AM, 06/25/2010
"Not the smartest thing you have said all day. You must enjoy your life where you don't have to think for yourself and put your trust in 'qualified' professionals. Yours is not to question why, yours is but to do and die."
I'm not so arrogant as to think that I have all the answers. I will make up my own mind when I'm presented with sufficient data and enough credible opinions with which to make an informed choice. A grainy photo on the internet is not enough to do that. You obviously have a bias and very limited information, so why is your opinion worth more than those trained to do this as a profession?
guy1974 says:
05:48 AM, 06/25/2010
It is sad this driver died but I don`t understand how he was so brilliant. Lexus and Toyota have for years built bland to drive cars - he didn`t help engineer in excellence did he?
guy1974 says:
05:45 AM, 06/25/2010
Akula1 - I find it strange that you lambast someone for waiting for the official investigation by people trained and experienced in such things. It is a shame you have the mindset of not trusting anyone. What do you do when you go to the Doctors for a diagnosis - do you have 5 second opinions and look in wedMD.com to make your own judgment?
What a conspiracy drive world you must live in - not the smartest thing at all (never mind today!)
As ningito said the Lexus is on the wrong side of the road, not the BMW. Oh well that blows your theory out of the water.
ninigto says:
02:31 AM, 06/25/2010
For Germany, LFA is on the wrong side of the road.... They drive to the right....
If it was in Japan or England, then LFA is on the right side of the road.... they drive to the left....
LFA is made of "carbon-fiber" reinforced plastic, like F-1 cars.... supposed to be "very" safe...
LFA weighs 3,263 - 3,485 lb. 3-series Sedan weighs 3,362 - 3,825 lb.
Roughly the same class cars...
Most cars in the U.S. are much bigger and heavier than 3 series....
I also expect many drivers rich enough to afford $370k+ cars would be 60 and older too...
akula1 says:
10:19 PM, 06/24/2010
@bimmerjay
"We have no idea why Naruse died, but he was 67 years old and his body may have simply not been able to handle the forces imposed as the (seriously injured) BMW occupants could. I would have no doubts that the LFA is just as crashworthy - if not moreso - than the BMW."
Smartest thing you have said all day.
"I won't be making my own call. I'll be taking the word of the professional accident investigators at the scene to determine the cause of the crash, because they are vastly more qualified than me to explain what happened."
Not the smartest thing you have said all day. You must enjoy your life where you don't have to think for yourself and put your trust in 'qualified' professionals. Yours is not to question why, yours is but to do and die.