Yutaka Katayama, car executive who built Nissan in U.S., dies at 105

Katayama was among the first Japanese auto executives to understand that the cars had to be customized for the American driver

Jerry Hirsch - WASHINGTONPOST - February 23, 2015



He was best known as the father of the 240 Z --Ed.



Yutaka Katayama, the auto marketing guru who spearheaded Nissan’s launch into the U.S. car market and the individual credited by many for the rapid acceptance of Japanese autos by American consumers, died Feb. 19 in Tokyo. He was 105.



The cause was a heart ailment, his family announced.



The auto executive joined Nissan Motor Co. in 1935 after graduating from Keio University. He worked in a variety of marketing jobs before being exiled by senior management in 1960 to what looked like a dead-end job in the U.S. because he opposed a company-backed union.... [Read More]

Yutaka Katayama, car executive who built Nissan in U.S., dies at 105