Honda Cars India appoints Gaku Nakanishi as president and CEO

Honda has appointed Gaku Nakanishi as the new president and CEO of Honda Cars India, effective April 1, 2018. Consequent to the management changes announced annually by Honda Motor Co, he will take over from Yoichiro Ueno, who was appointed to the position in February 2016.

Gaku Nakanishi was the president and CEO of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co since 2015. He has been associated with Honda for nearly 30 years and has significant experience in the automobile industry. His work experience includes stints in North America, Mexico, Japan and Thailand with Honda and the overseas division for CIS, Middle East & Africa and Asia & Oceania regions.

Ueno moves to the New Business Strategy Division, Business Development Supervisory Unit in Honda Motor Co to spearhead Honda’s pursuit of open innovation in the area of future mobility.

During his tenure, Yoichiro Ueno was instrumental in solidifying Honda’s brand positioning in India. He led the introduction of several premium models in India including the BR-V crossover, Accord Hybrid sedan, City sedan and the WR-V cross-hatch, while laying the foundation for the launch of upcoming models such as the new Amaze compact sedan, new seven-seat CR-V SUV and the Civic sedan.

The outgoing president’s focus on new age communication led to integrated marketing campaigns that targeted consumers across age profiles. In his role, he emphasised achieving operational efficiencies at the company and the dealership level during the rapid market shift from diesel to petrol, demonetisation and GST implementation.