APRIL 22, 2003

Honda's new boss is a racer

Honda has named Takeo Fukui as its new president. Fukui will replace Hiroyuki Yoshino, who has run the company since the middle of 1998 when he took over from Nobuhiko Kawamoto. The changeover will be made in June after a meeting of the Honda shareholders.

Fukui says that he intends to focus the company on "establishing the technology that will drive the 21st century auto market".

Fukui is the head of Honda Research & Development, the company which runs the Formula 1 program, and has been an occasional visitor to Grands Prix in recent years. He says that he originally joined Honda because it was the only Japanese car manufacturer which had been involved in F1. Fukui was heavily involved in Honda's motorcycle programs in the 1980s before moving up in the company.