A new president and CEO will take over at Honda Motor in June.
The company’s current senior managing director, Takanobu Ito, will assume the top spot in the Japanese company.
Takeo Fukui, who was appointed president and CEO in June 2003, will stay with Honda as advisor and a member of the board of directors.
The appointment will take effect after the annual shareholders meeting, which is planned for late June.
Ito joined Honda in 1978 in its automobile research and development operations, working primarily as an engineer in chassis design. He worked on the aluminum unibody frame structure for the NSX sports car, led the development of a series of compact sedans for the Japanese market in the early 1990s, was VP of Honda R&D Americas from 1998 to 2000, and was named president of Honda R&D in 2003. In 2005, Ito was named general manager of Honda’s Suzuka factory.
The man he replaces, Takeo Fukui, joined Honda in 1969 and spent time in its motorcycle development and racing operations.
