HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Minoru Kato has been appointed the new CEO of Honda Viet Nam from April 1, the company has announced.

Honda Viet Nam CEO Minoru Kato.— Photo Honda Viet Nam

Kato, 49, joined Honda Motors at the age of 23 as a staff member. After working in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, he became the director of Honda Motor Europe Ltd in the UK in 2011.

Meanwhile, former CEO Masayuki Igarashi, whom Kato replaced, has left Viet Nam for his new position as CEO of Honda Asia which handles the company's motorcycle business in Asia and Australia.

Statistics said that last year, out of the 2.8 million motorcycles sold in Viet Nam, which is considered one of the four largest markets for motorbikes, 1.78 million were of Honda. Despite controlling the largest market share, the company still faces tough competition from manufacturers such as Yamaha, Piaggio and SYM which also have reportedly increased the number of their products in the local market.

Meanwhile, according to a local newspaper, Honda has a weak position in the local automobile market, compared with brands such as Toyota, Ford, Kia, Mazda or Mitsubishi.—VNS