In memoriam: Tsutomu "Tom" Matano

The car design industry is grieving the loss of automotive designer and educator Tsutomu “Tom” Matano, best known for his work designing the Mazda MX-5 and commitment to educating the next generation of talent.

Matano began his career in the automotive industry in 1974, holding design positions at General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, Melbourne (Australia) and BMW in Munich (Germany) before joining Mazda’s North American studio in 1983 as chief designer.

Later Matano became vice president of design and then worked his way up to executive vice president of Western operations for Mazda R&D North America Incorporated as well as taking on the role of executive designer and director of Mazda North American operations.

From 1999 to 2002 Matano moved to Mazda headquarters in Japan as executive designer in the Global Advance Design Studio and the general manager of Mazda Design. Matano’s responsibilities included managing four advance studios and the chief designers group located in Frankfurt (Germany), Irvine (California, USA), Hiroshima and Yokohama (Japan) as well as developing design strategy and philosophy.

Iconic vehicles can be attributed to Matano and his design teams, such as the FD Mazda RX-7, NA Mazda MX-5 and the 1996 Miata ‘M-Coupe’ concept car.

Later in life, Matano dedicated his time to sharing his passion for design with students as executive director within the Academy of Art University’s School of Industrial Design, based in San Francisco.

Writing for CDN in 2023, he championed the idea of having empathy towards the user and environment and the power of pushing beyond logic. Matano also believed in the strength of human touch within the design, something that can never be replaced by AI.

"Designers must create products that are aspirational. You have to design both for functionality and how it makes you feel. How it connects with you. While AI can inform designers of data that drives an approach to some aspects of product design, it will never replace the human experience of sinking into a leather seat as opposed to a cloth one" – Tom Matano.

On a personal note, Matano was a great supporter of CDN. In 2001, Matano was closely involved in the development stage of Interior Motives magazine. He generously gave his time and insight to help develop the foundations of what the magazine has become today.

Matano was also a regular attendee at the CDN LA Forum as well as the various designer night parties, consistently supporting the community and contributing to the conversations that shaped CDN events.

His input and presence was invaluable to CDN, and his support helped build the platforms that continue to serve the global car design community. He will be missed and celebrated in equal measure.

Remembering Tom Matano 

Matano's friends within the automotive industry have reached out to CDN to share fond memories. We have compiled these below:

It is so sad to learn Tom Matano has passed away, a huge loss for the automotive design community. He brought joy to many people not only through the great products he designed, but also through his warm personality. His passionate approach to designing automobile has inspired countless young designers and students around the world. To me, he was a great friend since we were young designers back in the mid 1970’s. We used to meet and talk about design at Pebble beach every year, but that won’t happen anymore. Matano san, we will miss your charming smile. Rest in peace. – Shiro Nakamura, former design chief at Nissan

Tom was my Mazda sponsored project leader 35 years ago at ArtCenter when he was the VP at Mazda Design. It was our seventh term project and our class couldn't have been happier to have Tom there! We loved him. He was an executive but acted like a friend and mentor. He had so much fun reviewing our designs, giving us insights, critiquing hard, but always with a little humor and a big smile! I saw him a few weeks ago on our monthly Carpuccino conference call (if you know, you know) of which he was a regular member. It was always comforting to see him there. It won't be the same without him. His salutation was "always inspired". I take that to mean; all that have known Tom will be "always inspired" — by him!" – Michael Warsaw, chairman at ArtCenter College of Design.

Very sad to hear of Tom’s passing he was a fantastic designer and educator and a decent man RIP" – Dale Harrow, chair and director at the Intelligent Mobility Design Centre

I am so sorry to hear about Tom - such a great man and ambassador for our automotive design family. I first became aware of Tom, many years ago (1984) when I was working as a contract designer for Ford Asia-Pacific in Melbourne. Several IAD contract modellers who joined me there had just finished a gig at Mazda in Irvine, working with Tom on the original Miata project. They all eulogised on what a great designer Tom was to work with. Years later, I started to meet with Tom through ArtCenter events, when I was working there in Pasadena in various capacities. Later, when Tom became chair of the San Francisco program, we used to chew the fat and share thoughts. Tom was always so unassuming but at the same time, I regarded Tom as being quite wise and perspicacious. I always enjoyed his rueful sense of humor!I have been a long-time Miata fan / owner and so, I have also got to know Bob Hall over the years. I have fond memories of hanging out with Tom and Bob at the launch of the ND Miata at Laguna Seca! Two men who changed the course of Mazda" – Geoff Wardle, director of advanced mobility research at Art Center College of Design

Tom Matano, A wonderful creative mind who always wore a wise smile!” – Nate Young, executive VP at Art Center College of Design