It makes more sense to have a chef at the helm of affairs of a restaurant. A Food lover would unbiasedly take the best decisions regarding the a la carte of the restaurant. In a similar fashion, it seems an obvious choice to have a bike lover at the helm of things at a bike manufacturing unit.
It comes both as a surprise and as a moment of joy for the fans of Honda to know that Minoru Kato is the new President and CEO of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI). For all the Honda biking fans in India, this comes as a huge sigh of relief as Minoru himself is a proud owner of a CB1300. Although the bike is not available in India, we do get a hint about his taste in bikes because CB1300 is a retro-modern, inline four, super-sounding bike. Minoru has committed to bring the ‘fun’ element in Honda in India.
While keeping the ground rules of Honda in mind, he proposes many new exciting launches in India. Minoru plans to keep Honda leading in both quality and quantity. Honda is already investing towards increasing the manufacturing capacity at its Karnataka plant. He plans to hit 6 million sales in 2017-18.
Plans for Future
Minoru considers the new BS-IV concern as an ideal platform for making HMSI a big part of Honda’s future. In the near future, India will become the export hub of BS-IV compliant bikes for global consumption. They are also preparing for BS-VI compliant bikes which would come into effect by 2020, by equipping their manufacturing units for more expensive technologies like fuel injection and on-board diagnostics. Minoru has already prepared a set of experts for fast, cost-effective and high quality produce for everything related to BS-VI. He also plans to develop and execute newer technologies to the already huge pool of patents accumulated by Honda.
Making Honda Exciting
Coming to the ‘fun’ element, bikers in India can soon expect the much awaited Africa Twin to be launched in India. He holds high hopes regarding the rising demand for big and fun bikes in India, in the event of which, he plans to launch an entire ensemble of powerhouses from Honda’s stable in India.
As per the current plot, Honda Activa will rule their production numbers in the coming years. Honda plans to pile up on its success with 3 new launches, 2 scooters and 1 motorcycle in the coming days. The excitement at Honda doesn’t stop at this, because according to Minoru, big engines and massive power don’t necessarily convert to the ‘fun’ element and this means that Honda’s commuter and mass-market segment is going to get a huge boost.
HMSI currently has Yadvinder Singh Guleria and Tetsuya Komine to take on the onslaught from the Royal Enfield 350 classic with a unique and all-round agreeable proposition. So when Minoru Kato, a bike enthusiast and the CEO of a motorcycle company conveys his interest in riding outdoors with other riders to take their inputs, rest assured, good times have arrived at HMSI.
A Bike lover as the Top Honcho for a Bike Manufacturer in India
