(June 24, 2010) The top test driver for Toyota was killed in a road accident in Germany while testing a prototype super car, the car maker said on Thursday. Hiromu Naruse was testing the Lexus LFA sports car when it collided in western Germany on Wednesday. The mishap took place near Nuerburgring race track.

The spokesperson of the auto giant said that the company is grief stricken on the sad demise of their chief Hiromu Naruse. Naurse was 67 and worked with the company since 1963.

Reports state that Naruse lost control of the LFA and swerved into the oncoming lane and collided with a BMW  driven by two BMW test-drivers. While the BMW test-drivers survived, Naruse died on the spot.

Naruse is also Akio Toyoda’s personal driver and the creator of the LFA.

We are surprised by the sudden sad news,” Mieko Iwasaki, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for Toyota, told Bloomberg News. “We express our heartfelt sympathy to people who were in the accident.” Iwasaki declined to comment on the details of the accident pending an investigation.

Naruse was involved in developing sports cars including the 2000GT and Lexus LFA, according to a New York Times report.

The LF-A supercar was revealed in production trim at the 2009 Tokyo motor show and is expected to go into production late this year as a 2012 model.

The company plans to build just 500 copies of the $375,000 cars over a 24-month period. The $70,000 Nürburgring option will be offered on 50 cars, featuring a 562-horsepower version of the car's 4.8-liter V10 and other exclusive features.