[TusharK]

Honda has appointed Takashi Nakajima as the new President and CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL). He will take charge from April 1, 2025.



Takashi Nakajima joined Honda in 1994. He has held leadership positions in domains such as Business Planning, Product Planning, Marketing and Sales Promotion, in several markets, including Japan, China, Spain, Czech Republic and Russia.

He has been serving as President of Honda Motor Russia since 2021. During his latest assignment, he was also in charge of Product Planning, Marketing and Corporate Communication for Honda’s automobile business in the Japanese domestic market.

Nakajima will replace Takuya Tsumura, who will be moving back to Japan to assume a new role at Honda headquarters. Tsumura spearheaded the launch of important models like the City e:HEV, the third-generation Amaze and Honda’s first midsize SUV, the Elevate.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Sri0030]

I'm confused whether to laugh or feel sad for Honda Cars India.

We've seen 3 CEO's been changed at Honda Cars India in the last 4 to 5 years.

What is the actual reason behind this? Doesn't this effect their future product strategy and overall planning? Are they really committed to the Indian market at least for the next few years?

This kind of actions makes people even more confused, which in turn further hurts the sales.

[Random_Alien]

Originally Posted by Sri0030

I'm confused whether to laugh or feel sad for Honda Cars India.

We've seen 3 CEO's been changed at Honda Cars India in the last 4 to 5 years.

What is the actual reason behind this? Doesn't this effect their future product strategy and overall planning? Are they really committed to the Indian market at least for the next few years?

This kind of actions makes people even more confused, which in turn further hurts the sales.

I will suggest to take this news in a positive and hopeful manner. Honda india might see a rebirth and a recovery in sales charts.

Sure, frequent changing of top management shows the instability in a company, but I would like to highlight the example of skoda india and how Petr Janeba has turned the company around and is now on an upward trajectory.

However, i must agree that indian market is not a bed of roses. Any incorrect move can seal the fate of the already struggling honda india.

[Gotcha]

Honda is going to keep treating the Indian market as a lower priority with an unstable management and mostly inferior cars as long as the Indian government keeps taxing cars like crazy with high policy instability and we citizens keep tolerating it. We need to fight back aggressively against high taxes and arbitrary rules for better cars!

[codelad]

The overwhelming vibe I got while at the Honda dealership (over the Elevate) was their seemingly unshakeable belief that they offer a reliable tried-and-tested engine which makes up for everything else.

While this may well be true (at least, in part), it was difficult to justify, especially given their pricing and the functionality on offer. And betrays a disconnect with what potential buyers want/need/seek.

It was basically a overpriced but reliable and decent package that caters to a certain segment of buyers who need just that, and that alone. And going by their sales numbers, this segment is likely shrinking.

[nareshtrao]

What they need really is a new product line altogether instead of churning out the all-beaten City, and now Amaze along with some Elevate around it.

Having been in India for over 2 decades, and with some very popular products in their global portfolio, not getting it right is just not acceptable.

They need to revive the SUV segment with HR-V, CR-V, Pilot and Passport apart from their hybrid cousins. All of these are well received products world over and if marketed well and priced competitively, are sure to give a tough competition to multiple established models.

Despite the Sedan market being in decline, City can be augmented with Civic and Accord in some numbers. Amaze can continue to cater to Taxi and Entry level first-time buyers.

Not sure what is stopping them. The duties in India have always been high but brands like Kia have shown what can be done even with a late entry.

They need someone with a good hook in the Board back in Japan to be able to make some bold decisions. Hopefully Nakajima-san is that The One.

All of us would love to see Honda roar back again. That is for sure.

[SunaPana]

Originally Posted by nareshtrao

What they need really is a new product line altogether instead of churning out the all-beaten City, and now Amaze along with some Elevate around it.

Having been in India for over 2 decades, and with some very popular products in their global portfolio, not getting it right is just not acceptable.

They need to revive the SUV segment with HR-V, CR-V, Pilot and Passport apart from their hybrid cousins. All of these are well received products world over and if marketed well and priced competitively, are sure to give a tough competition to multiple established models.

Despite the Sedan market being in decline, City can be augmented with Civic and Accord in some numbers. Amaze can continue to cater to Taxi and Entry level first-time buyers.

Not sure what is stopping them. The duties in India have always been high but brands like Kia have shown what can be done even with a late entry.

They need someone with a good hook in the Board back in Japan to be able to make some bold decisions. Hopefully Nakajima-san is that The One.

All of us would love to see Honda roar back again. That is for sure.

They did promise 3 India specific suv models by Fy 26-27. Also If Trump does succeed in his trade deal negotiations they probably can import their more premium cars like Pilot, Passport etc tax free from US

[carjack3090]

Originally Posted by SunaPana

They did promise 3 India specific suv models by Fy 26-27. Also If Trump does succeed in his trade deal negotiations they probably can import their more premium cars like Pilot, Passport etc tax free from US

The cars in USA are made for Left hand drive (but if I am not wrong Honda makes their USA based cars in Mexico). For Right hand drive the cars need to be brought in from Thailand