Toyoda Gosei: From Components to Cabin Spaces, From Going It Alone to Collaboration

June 03, 2026
Automotive Engineering Exposition 2026 Yokohama

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Director, Executive Officer, and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mr. Mitsuhiro Nawashiro

About This Interview

Amid growing uncertainty in the automotive industry, driven by the advancement of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the rapid growth of Chinese New Energy Vehicle (NEV) OEMs, and changes in cost structures, development speed, and functional requirements, how does a major supplier whose strengths lie in rubber and resin technologies and hardware components that protect human safety differentiate itself and create value for the future?

At the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2026 Yokohama (May 27–29), MarkLines interviewed Mr. Mitsuhiro Nawashiro, Director, Executive Officer, and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (Toyoda Gosei), at their exhibition booth, regarding the company's approach to differentiating itself in the SDV era, the evolving role of safety component suppliers as the focus of automotive safety shifts, materials technologies centered on lightweighting and recycling, and its vision for vehicle cabins looking ahead to around 2040.

About This Interview
Q1
As SDVs advance, vehicle value is increasingly shifting toward software. At the same time, the rapid growth of Chinese NEV OEMs is driving major changes in cost, development speed, and functional requirements. Under these circumstances, in which areas does Toyoda Gosei intend to further emphasize its unique value?
Q2
As autonomous driving and ADAS technologies evolve and the focus of safety shifts from passive safety toward preventing accidents themselves, how do you see the role of safety component suppliers changing?
Q3
As vehicle lightweighting and environmental initiatives become increasingly important, will materials technologies and the use of recycled materials become sources of competitiveness?
Q4
Looking toward around 2040, what kind of company would Toyoda Gosei like to become? As steering-by-wire (SBW) and autonomous driving technologies evolve and the concept of the driver's seat changes, what role will the company's technologies play in future cabin spaces?
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