Takayuki Nakamoto of Nissan Technical Center Europe | S4 Ep1 | The Garage by Sonatus
Recorded live at CES 2026 at the Sonatus booth, host John Heinlein interviews Takayuki 'Terry' Nakamoto, Director of Electrical, Electronics, and ADAS Engineering Department at Nissan Technical Center Europe. The conversation explores how NTCE develops vehicles manufactured in the UK for global markets and discusses the challenges of traditional vehicle development processes that rely heavily on physical vehicle testing. Terry explains how their partnership with Sonatus is revolutionizing their approach through two key AI solutions: Sonatus Collector AI, which enables remote data access and customizable data collection policies, and Sonatus AI Technician, which provides expert-level diagnostic guidance. These tools are helping Nissan reduce development time, minimize the need for expensive preproduction vehicles, and accelerate their start-of-production (SOP) cycles while maintaining quality standards. The interview showcases real demonstrations of the technology and highlights the significant time and resource savings achieved through this digital transformation approach.
Creators and Guests
Host
John Heinlein, Ph.D.
An experienced technology and marketing leader, John brings his background from startups and established companies to Sonatus. He worked for 14 years at Arm, most recently leading Automotive Partnerships for North America where he engaged OEMs, Tier-1s, and others to deploy Arm-based solutions into automotive applications, including autonomous vehicles. His team was integral to launching the SOAFEE industry initiative for software-defined vehicles of which Sonatus is a member. Earlier he served as VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO and led a group responsible for competitive strategy. For three years, he was VP of Corporate Marketing where he led centralized outbound marketing, spanning marketing campaigns, press, events, web, digital marketing, ecosystem programs, and working closely with investor relations. Prior to Arm, John had an 11-year tenure at microprocessor startup Transmeta where he held several senior roles spanning business development, marketing, and customer success, among others. John earned his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.S. and Ph.D., both in Electrical Engineering, from Stanford University.
