The Prius That Shook.. - VFAQ Prius Site

"It's got to be the Power Train Engineering Division II,
since it's a compact FF car. I'd love to work on the engine,
since it's the first hybrid system in the world. But it's probably
like hell right now. They have no actual engine, no materials and
no know-how. They have nothing to work with."
"I've actually heard that the new BR-VF leader Yaegashi-san
was looking for some people to work on it."
"Really? Then, they'll probably end up recruiting someone
from our department (Engine Engineering Division II)."
Shinichi Abe was one of the engineers at the table. The
moment he heard the name Yaegashi, he got the feeling that
"He might call me again...."
His hunch proved to be right. He was designated by
Yaegashi to work also as the Staff Leader for the hybrid engine
group starting in March. He was told to "supervise pre-
production at Higashifuji for a while."
Abe had joined Toyota in 1981. There are two areas
of work in engine development. One is design,
which is to draw the plans and to build the engine. The
other is adaptation, which is to have an engine meet
various regulations, car requirements, and consumer needs.
Abe, who had worked on engine adaptation for many
years, was dispatched to Toyota Technical Center USA
(TTC) for three years starting January 1991. Since the
California Air Resources Board (CARB) and
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