Akita Advanced Design Works
Strategic Advisory for the Software-Defined Era
Nearly three decades at the heart of Japan's leading automakers — from chassis engineering to SDV future strategy. Now partnering with companies who are ready to shape what mobility becomes next.
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モビリティの未来とAI時代の価値創造について意見交換
30 Years at the Core
of Automotive
About
Masaya Akita has spent nearly three decades at the forefront of the automotive industry — as an engineer, a manager, and a strategist. His experience spans hardware and software, Japan and Europe, tradition and transformation.
Akita Advanced Design Works was founded to make that depth of insider knowledge available to companies navigating one of the most complex industries in the world — not as a consultant who delivers reports from the outside, but as a hands-on thinking partner who has sat in the room where those decisions were made.
View Full ProfileAreas of direct experience
Services
From a single-session advisory call to a full co-creation engagement — the format adapts to what you actually need.
A focused, high-value conversation for companies facing a specific challenge — strategy questions, OEM approach planning, or a decision that needs an experienced sounding board. No retainer required.
A monthly engagement for companies navigating a longer journey — entering the automotive market, building an SDV strategy, or steering a complex supplier relationship. Consistent thinking partnership.
Hands-on partnership from idea creation through PoC design and execution. Drawing on direct experience co-creating SDV strategy with an automotive technology subsidiary, this service is for organizations ready to move fast and build real things.
Industry keynotes, corporate workshops, and university lectures on SDV transformation, future mobility, and the realities of automotive product development. Delivered in Japanese or English.
Expertise
Software-defined vehicle architecture, OTA, ADAS, platform strategy, and the organizational shifts required to make the transition real.
The decision-making processes, organizational structures, and unwritten rules of major Japanese OEMs — knowledge that only comes from decades inside.
Suspension, steering, and platform engineering across compact, midsize, and luxury vehicles including first-of-kind innovations developed at major Japanese OEMs.
Guiding Tier 1, Tier 2, and non-automotive companies through the process of engaging Japanese OEMs — from first contact to sourcing decisions.
BEV innovation, hydrogen propulsion, carbon neutral scenario planning, and the long-term product vision work conducted under Premium Brand leadership.
Managing international development teams across Europe, Japan, and beyond. Cross-cultural leadership and supplier negotiation at the highest levels.
I don't give you answers.
I build them with you.
Philosophy
The most valuable insight in the automotive industry isn't in any report or framework. It lives in the accumulated judgment of people who have sat in the room where decisions were made — who have navigated the politics, the engineering constraints, and the market realities together.
Akita Advanced Design Works operates from that kind of knowledge. The goal is never to impress with analysis. It's to think alongside you, sharpen your ideas, and help you move with confidence in one of the world's most complex industries.
Contact
Whether you have a specific challenge in mind or just want to explore whether there's a fit — reach out. Initial conversations are always without obligation.