Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL) has appointed Toshiyuki Yanagisawa as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2026, placing an experienced Honda executive at the centre of the automaker’s next phase of development in India.
The leadership transition comes at a strategically important time for Honda, as the company strengthens its focus on India through market-specific product planning, business development and technology-led initiatives. Yanagisawa’s appointment also brings together leadership responsibilities across Honda Cars India and Honda Digital Innovation India Pvt. Ltd. (HDII), reflecting the company’s integrated approach to its automotive business and India-focused strategic priorities.
An Operating Executive at Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Yanagisawa previously led Honda’s India Strategic Development Office and has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Honda Digital Innovation India. His expanded mandate places him at the intersection of passenger vehicle operations, strategic execution and digital initiatives in one of the world’s major automotive markets.
India Moves Further into Honda’s Strategic Priorities
Honda has identified India, alongside North America and Japan, as a priority market in its future growth strategy. The company’s focus on India involves developing market-specific plans that respond to local customer expectations, competitive dynamics and the evolving requirements of the passenger vehicle market.
A key element of this direction is an India-focused strategic vehicle programme targeted for launch in 2028. Honda has indicated that the programme has progressed into the execution phase, signalling a shift from strategic development towards implementation.
Yanagisawa’s appointment therefore comes as Honda works to translate its India priorities into concrete business initiatives. The leadership transition will be closely watched in the context of the company’s product roadmap, market positioning and long-term plans for India.
A Leadership Profile Spanning India and Global Markets
Yanagisawa brings experience across Honda’s operations in India, the United States and China. His earlier assignments include a stint with Honda Cars India from October 2009 to September 2013, a sales leadership role at American Honda Motor Co. from April 2021 to October 2022, and a leadership position at Guangqi Honda in China from 2015 to 2021.
His previous exposure to the Indian market provides continuity as he assumes the top leadership position at HCIL. His subsequent international assignments have also formed part of a career within Honda’s wider operating network, giving him experience across different automotive markets and business environments.
Before taking on the HCIL presidency, Yanagisawa’s work in India’s strategic development and digital innovation connected him with initiatives extending beyond conventional passenger vehicle operations. His new responsibilities bring these areas into closer alignment with the leadership of Honda’s India car business.
Bringing Automotive Operations and Digital Initiatives Together
Yanagisawa will jointly lead Honda Cars India and Honda Digital Innovation India. The combined responsibility creates a leadership structure spanning the passenger vehicle business and the company’s India-focused digital organisation.
For automotive manufacturers, business competitiveness increasingly involves coordination across product planning, customer-facing operations, technology and market execution. Honda’s leadership structure places these responsibilities under a common executive mandate in India, although the specific organisational priorities and execution milestones will become clearer as the company advances its plans.
The appointment also provides continuity between Honda’s India strategic development work and the next phase of implementation, including the planned India-focused vehicle programme.
Leadership Transition and the Road Ahead
Yanagisawa succeeds Takashi Nakajima as President and CEO of Honda Cars India. Nakajima is moving to Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Honda’s regional headquarters.
Established in December 1995, Honda Cars India manufactures passenger vehicles for the Indian market. Its locally manufactured portfolio includes the Amaze, City and Elevate, while the Honda ZR-V is imported from Japan as a completely built unit.
With Yanagisawa assuming leadership, Honda Cars India enters its next phase against a backdrop of evolving customer expectations, changing technology requirements and intensifying competition in the passenger vehicle market. The company’s progress on its India-specific product programme and its ability to execute its broader growth priorities will be important developments to follow.
The appointment is significant not only as a change at the top, but also as a leadership transition taking place while Honda advances a more explicitly India-focused business agenda.
Source: Honda Cars India Ltd. and Honda Motor Co. official announcements.
