News Releases

Industry veteran to lead U.S. product strategy and strengthen regional manufacturing collaboration

IRVINE, Calif. (October 1, 2025) – Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) announced Yoshiyuki Wada as the new Vice President, R&D, Design and Quality Assurance (QA), effective today.

As Vice President, R&D, Design and QA, Wada will be responsible for spearheading product strategy development within the U.S. market and enhancing collaboration and alignment across key manufacturing teams in both the U.S. and Mexico. He will report directly to Takuji Iwashita, Executive Vice President.

Wada brings more than 30 years of experience in product planning and program management to his new position. He joined MNAO in April 2025 as Senior Director, Product Strategy & Market Expansion, where he has been pivotal in fostering strategic synergies across North and South America, including Mazda de México Vehicle Operation (MMVO), Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM), and our Latin American subsidiaries, working closely with Iwashita.

Prior to his tenure at MNAO, Wada served as General Manager of the Product Development Division at Mazda Motor Corporation (MC), a role he undertook after successfully leading development for several significant vehicle programs, including the CX-60.

Wada succeeds Ryotaro Nishida, who returns to MC as Deputy General Manager, Powertrain Development Division after completing his term as Vice President.

Proudly founded in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda has a history of sophisticated craftsmanship and innovation, and a promise of creating uplifting experiences for those it serves. By putting humans at the center of everything it does, Mazda aspires to create uplifting experiences with our vehicles and for people. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at news.mazdausa.com.

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