Yoichiro Ueno new President & CEO of Honda Cars India

New Delhi: In a top level change, Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co Tuesday appointed Yoichiro Ueno as new President and CEO of its Indian operations with effect from April 1, 2016.

Ueno would be replacing Katsushi Inoue, who has been elevated to the position of Operating Officer of Honda Motor Co, becoming the Chief Operating Officer for Regional Operations (Europe region). Inoue was appointed President & CEO of HCIL in April 2015.

"Honda Motor Co has appointed Ueno as the new President & CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) with effect from April 1, 2016, consequent to the management changes announced by the Honda Motor Company Board of Directors today," the auto maker said in a statement.

HCIL sells six models in the country -- compact car Brio, compact sedan Amaze, mid-sized sedan City, premium hatchback Jazz, multi-purpose vehicle Mobilio and premium sports utility vehicle CR-V.

Ueno comes to India from Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd where he served as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director since January 2011.

Previously, he has also worked as the Assistant Vice President of Automobile Sales of American Honda Motor Co Inc, where he was involved in the overall planning and coordination of sales and marketing in the US market.

He has been associated with Honda Motor Co for over 30 years having served in markets outside Japan like New Zealand and Thailand, and worked with overseas division and countries such as Asia and Oceania, China and North America.

Inoue led several initiatives including in the field of digitisation to enhance customer experience and bring in operational efficiencies at the company and dealership level.

During his tenure, the third generation of Honda Jazz was launched in India and the company also witnessed significant expansion in its dealer network.

Inoue moves to Europe to take over as the Chief Operating Officer, Regional Operations (Europe Region) and President & Director, Honda Motor Europe Ltd.