Sadayuki Yonetamari takes over as head of AVL Japan

AVL List GmbH, the world’s largest, independent company for development, simulation and testing in the automotive sector and other industries, has a new head for its sites in Japan: On May 1, 2022, Sadayuki Yonetamari will take over as Managing Director of AVL Japan. The 59-year-old moves from the Nissan Motor Corporation to AVL, where he will be responsible for the strategic alignment and positioning of AVL Japan in the future. Yonetamari succeeds Harald Alge, who has been Managing Director of AVL Japan since 2019 and now moves to the headquarters in Graz as the new Sales Operation Manager.

Copyright: © AVL Japan, Sadayuki Yonetamari

Graz, Austria / Kawasaki, Japan, May 2022: Sadayuki Yonetamari has been successful in the automotive industry for more than 36 years. Before his appointment as Managing Director of AVL Japan, he occupied various management positions at the Nissan Motor Corporation, where he most recently led the Powertrain and Electric Vehicle Engineering department as Alliance Global Director. As well as Japan, his career has also taken him to France (Renault) and Spain (Nissan Technical Center). Yonetamari boasts a wealth of management experience and a broad technical expertise – from a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Kyushu University) to his role as chief engineer on many propulsion system solutions.

As Managing Director, Yonetamari has set himself the objective of developing the commercial success of AVL Japan. The Japanese automotive industry has been one of AVL’s core markets for years. The company works with all the renowned Japanese car manufacturers and many suppliers. AVL operates nine sites in Japan, with a workforce of 330 employees. AVL Japan Head Office is located in Kawasaki, in the prefecture of Kanagawa, which has also been home to a state-of-the-art AVL Technical Center since 2016.

“I am very much looking forward to my new role as Managing Director and all the organization possibilities that come with it. I have known and valued AVL for many years. During my time with Nissan, I implemented various projects together with AVL and always saw the company as an innovative, high-tech venture,” said Sadayuki Yonetamari. Furthermore, he has set himself the goal of making AVL Japan more sustainable: “Mobility is moving towards alternative forms of energy at an increasingly rapid pace – ranging from electric and hybrid to hydrogen. However, many Japanese customers still associate AVL with conventional combustion technology. I want to change that: We can provide the entire range of AVL services in Japan and offer our customers optimal support as they face the challenges that come with the shift in technology.”

As well as the established Japanese automotive brands, the new Managing Director also sees great potential among new market participants and tier-1 suppliers. In the course of the current transformation, they are taking on an ever-increasing number of development tasks, such as testing e-motors and propulsion systems. In doing so, they can benefit from AVL’s expertise as an independent partner.

“I believe another big challenge in my role as Managing Director is to position AVL more strongly as an attractive employer for skilled, Japanese experts. As a technology company, we live from people who can apply their skills and knowledge across different sectors.”