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Honda replaces CEO Takanobu Ito with Takahiro Hachigo

At its upcoming shareholders' meeting in June, Honda is set to make a raft of changes to its senior personnel, including new board members, directors, auditors and operating officers. But the most pivotal of the new appointments will see the replacement of its president and chief executive. That job currently belongs to Takanobu Ito, who will step down in June and hand the reins over to Takahiro Hachigo, subject to ratification by the shareholders. Hachigo-san has been with Honda since 1982, rising up the ranks and holding a series of key executive and R&D posts with the Japanese automaker in locations around the world – including here in the United States, where he spearheaded development of the original Odyssey minivan and directed the company's American R&D center. He subsequently headed Honda's European operations and currently serves as its most senior officer in China. He's 55 years old. He takes over from Ito-san after a tumultuous period for Honda. Ito, 62, joined Honda in 1978 and similarly rose through the R&D ranks, holding some of the same positions along the way that Hachigo would later, albeit more focused on the company's operations at home in Japan. Ito took over as president and CEO in 2009, steering Honda through a difficult period marked by fluctuating currencies, the tsunami disaster of 2011 and flagging quality issues that have forced Honda to issue unprecedented recalls, focusing much criticism on Ito's leadership. Honda recently recalled millions of vehicles that were fitted with Takata's faulty airbag inflators, which had the unpleasant tendency to spew shrapnel at consumers. Ito will remain on board as a director and advisor, but what we'll be most interested to see is the direction in which Hachigo will take the company. Under Ito's leadership, Honda has brought back performance icons like the NSX and Civic Type R, launched innovative environmental technologies, delved into aerospace with the HondaJet and re-entered Formula One. One of Hachigo's first priorities will undoubtedly be to restore the company's reputation for quality, but we'll have to wait and see what (if any) sort of new and exciting developments he'll spearhead once he takes office. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Announces New President & CEO Tokyo, February 23, 2015 --- Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda adds 4.5 million vehicles to Takata recall, none in North America

The already massive Takata airbag inflator recall is getting 4.5-million units larger across the world. Honda is issuing an expansion to its safety campaign in many foreign markets. Of those newly affected cars, about 1.63 million of them are in Japan. None of these models are in North America. According to Reuters, Honda decided on this recall expansion after analyzing 1,000 inflators from vehicles not previously covered by its campaigns. The company found that the density of the gas-producing chemicals varied in them, which could cause a safety problem in the future. The models affected include foreign versions of the Fit and CR-V with production dates between 2007 and 2011, the Associated Press reports. Research suggests that Takata's inflators can be affected by exposure to moisture. This can cause the propellant to ignite too quickly and the component to shoot metal shrapnel when the airbag deploys. The issue has been linked to eight deaths worldwide, and there was a recent report of the issue causing a vehicle fire in a Nissan in Japan. The global inflator recall has had serious affects on Honda's books, as well. The Japanese automaker recently had to revise earnings from last year to account for an extra $363 million in costs from the campaigns and has been dealing with lawsuits over the issue. To improve quality, the company decided not to set sales goals through at least 2017. Honda last expanded the recall in Japan in late May to cover another 340,000 vehicles. It has also been searching for Takata's inflators in junkyards in the US. Related Video:

Honda City Adventure off-road scooter concept shown at EICMA

Set aside the cars and trucks for a minute and you'll see that Honda still builds a huge variety of machinery: everything from power equipment to jets to robots – and a whole lot more in between. But what's caught our attention today is a motorcycle... of sorts. Headlining the Japanese company's lineup at the EICMA motorcycle show this week is the City Adventure concept. Though little in the way of details were released, the vehicle seeks to blend the go-anywhere capability of an endurance off-road motorcycle with the convenience and versatility of an urban scooter. That means chunky off-road tires, disc brakes, shielded handlebars, and a movable windscreen, among other elements. The result is a concept for now, but Honda says it foreshadows "a new development direction for adventure-focused machines." If reception is positive enough, Honda might put something like this into production. While the City Adventure concept is surely the most unusual of the motorcycles Honda brought to the Milanese expo this year, it's not the only one. Alongside it, the company is showcasing the new CRF1000L Africa Twin adventure bike, a range of new 500cc bikes, a trio of 750cc New Concept bikes with dual-clutch transmissions, a revised version of the Integra maxi scooter, and new colors for a host of other models as well. Scope out the full details in the press release below. New City Adventure concept revealed alongside CRF1000L Africa Twin and six heavily revised mid-sized machines - City Adventure concept indicates a new development direction for adventure-focussed machines - European show debut for CRF1000L Africa Twin - Range of rider-focussed upgrades for A2 licence-friendly CB500F, CB500X and CBR500R - Revised looks and added practicality for NC750X, NC750S and Integra - New functionality for unique Dual Clutch Transmission technology - New paint options for VFR1200X Crosstourer,, CB650F, CBR650F, CBR300R and SH125i Honda today reveals its full 2016 motorcycle line up at the EICMA show in Milan, comprising six mid-sized capacity machines with a range of significant updates, and the return of one of motorcycling's most illustrious names in the form of the CRF1000L Africa Twin. With an eye to the future, Honda has also revealed its new City Adventure concept machine, offering a unique new interpretation of the idea of adventure on two wheels.