Yoichi Sugimoto

Executive Chief Engineer, Innovative Research Excellence Division

Honda R&D Co., Ltd.

Yoichi Sugimoto leads Honda’s automated vehicle program as executive chief engineer of the Innovative Research Excellence Division of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. based in Tochigi, Japan.

Sugimoto joined Honda R&D Co., Ltd. in 1986 and began his career in the Tochigi R&D Center No.6 Test Division and was engaged in the research and development of anti-lock braking (ABS) systems.  He continued to expand his research and development influence in brake control technology and was integral to the implementation of electronic brake distribution (EBDS) systems.

Sugimoto continued into research on preventive safety and driver assistive technologies and then contributed to the application of the world’s first automatic emergency braking system installed in a production vehicle, the Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™).

In 2012, Sugimoto took his 25 years of R&D experience to the Automobile Technology Research Division of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. in Detroit, Michigan to lead advanced research in intelligent transportation (ITS) systems. His work with Honda R&D Americas led to the first U.S. demonstration of Honda’s automated driving technology – with industry-leading freeway entry, exit, and lane change capabilities – at the 2014 ITS World Congress in Detroit, Michigan.

In late 2015, Sugimoto returned to the Automobile R&D Center of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. as senior chief engineer with overall responsibility for the research and development of preventive safety, driver assistive and automated vehicle technologies.

Sugimoto’s current role as executive chief engineer of the Innovative Research Excellence Division of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. began in 2019.