Honda Cars India appoints Toshiyuki Yanagisawa as president and CEO
Yanagisawa will take charge on October 1, 2026, alongside leadership of Honda Digital Innovation India. Takashi Nakajima will move to Asian Honda Motor as Honda prepares an India-focused vehicle launch for 2028.
What happened
Honda appointed Toshiyuki Yanagisawa as President and CEO of Honda Cars India from October 1, 2026. He will also lead Honda Digital Innovation India, while
Key facts
- October 1, 2026
- 2028
Why this matters
Honda’s combined market and digital leadership structure may create partnership opportunities in connected mobility, software, and local ecosystem development ahead of 2028.
What to watch
- Appointments to product planning, purchasing, sales, dealer development and digital leadership roles after October 2026.
- Honda capital-expenditure announcements for Indian manufacturing, R&D, software or localization.
- Dealer agreements, network expansion targets and evidence of digital retail or unified customer-data rollouts.
- Supplier nominations or component-localization announcements tied to a new India-specific platform.
- Signals on whether the 2028 vehicle is ICE, hybrid, EV or multi-powertrain, and whether it is intended for export markets.
- Changes in Honda Cars India's monthly volumes, dealer throughput, discounting and service retention versus Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Kia.
- Name a cross-functional India-focused vehicle program team spanning product planning, localization, purchasing, dealer development and digital.
- Increase investment in connected-car software, CRM, online booking, digital retail and service-data platforms through Honda Digital Innovation India.
- Begin dealer-network capability upgrades in priority metros and high-growth tier-2 cities, including charging and EV-service readiness if the 2028 model is electrified.
- Seek deeper local supplier partnerships to lower cost, improve parts availability and support competitive pricing.
- Clarify the 2028 vehicle's powertrain, localization level, target price band and annual capacity plan.