Toyota Technical Center Names a Fifth Chief Engineer

April 15, 2014

Patrick Ponticel

Monte Kaehr was responsible for the Toyota Camry minor model change for the 2014 edition.

Toyota Technical Center (TTC) recently named Monte Kaehr to the position of American Chief Engineer, with responsibility for the Camry. He is only the fifth person to attain the title of American Chief Engineer at TTC, a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, N.A. (TEMA) in Ann Arbor, MI. Even before his promotion he had been heavily involved in Camry development and was responsible for the minor model change for the 2014 edition. “One area I wanted to improve was dynamic performance, so we held dynamic clinics with over 100 midsize segment customers in three different locations across North America," Kaehr, an SAE International member, said in a TEMA press release. "I sat in the back seat with the team of engineers and observed as customers drove the Camry in a variety of conditions. This feedback guided key changes that make the Camry more stable, confident, and fun to drive." Kaehr earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and in 1992 joined Toyota Motor Corp. in Toyota City, Japan, as a design engineer in the Body Design division. In 1998, he transferred to TTC (Ann Arbor), where he has progressed through a series of positions in Body Engineering and Product Development. In 2009, he moved to the Product Development Office as an Executive Program Manager, where he was a member of the Avalon project team and took on responsibilities (without the Chief Engineer title) for the Camry minor model change. There had been no American Chief Engineer for the Camry before Kaehr's promotion. He joins Greg Bernas (Venza and RAV4 EV), Mike Sweers (Tacoma and Tundra), Randy Stephens (Avalon), and Andrew Lund (Sienna) as American Chief Engineers.