Mazda North American Operations Executives

Masaki Ueno is the vice president of research & development, design and QA for Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). Ueno was previously General Manager of Vehicle Testing and Research Department at Mazda Motor Corporation in Hiroshima, Japan.

During his nearly 30-year career at Mazda, Ueno has held a variety of engineering roles in the area of Crash safety development, pedestrian protection development, vehicle durability, aerodynamics and more. Of particular importance, he was an integral part of the team that developed computer simulation technology and its application process for new vehicles. In addition, he contributed ideas to move towards better efficiency in vehicle development. Ueno’s projects have received awards such as best-in-class safety performance, IIHS Top Safety Pick+, and five-star rating in NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program in G6 products.

Ueno attended the Osaka Prefecture University. He currently resides in Southern California.