New appointments at Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Middle East Office

The new executives are: Mr. Yukio Honda who joined as the new General Manager for Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Middle East Office, replacing Mr. Hiroshi Toda, who has been relocated to Australia as President, Honda Australia, Pty., Ltd.; and Mr. Naohiro Maeda who joined as the new Automobile Marketing Manager replacing Mr. Akira Makino, who was transferred to Honda Headquarters in Japan in his new post as the Assistant Manager, Automobile Product Planning Division of Asia & Oceania Operations.

Under the new position effective 1 April 2002, Mr. Honda will be responsible for Honda operations in the Middle East region.

Mr. Honda has been with the Company for 21 years. He joined the Dubai Office from Honda Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, where he worked as the Global Human Resources Division Manager.

Prior to this, he was based in Honda Turkey where he occupied the position of Automobile Marketing Coordinator. Mr. Honda has also worked as the domestic Automobile Market Director, and therefore brings with him a valuable experience in sales & marketing in domestic and overseas markets.

Mr. Honda is 49 years old, married with 2 children. He was educated in Japan where he studied International Economy.

Commenting on his new appointment, Mr. Honda said "The Middle East has always been very important for Honda. I am very excited and I look forward to the challenges of my new role, as I build on the success of my predecessor. We have a range of excellent products, our market share is consistently growing, and even more important, we enjoy excellent relationships with our dealers and customers. I look forward to leading the local team forward as we build on all of these strengths,".

Mr. Naohiro Maeda joined Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Middle East Office as the new Automobile Marketing Manager effective 29 March 2002. Under this position, Mr. Maeda is responsible for all the sales and marketing strategies and operations for Honda in the Middle East.

Mr. Maeda also joined the Dubai Office directly from Honda Headquarters in Tokyo, where he worked as Senior Staff responsible for the Middle East and Africa motorcycle sales & marketing operations.

Mr. Maeda also brings with him extensive knowledge and in-depth experience in global logistics, which will be an added value to the Middle East operations.

"I am looking forward to working closely with our team and local Honda dealers here in the region. Over the years, Honda has grown from strength to strength, and I am sure that with the support of our loyal dealers and customers, we will be able to consolidate our market and brand leadership in the region," said Mr. Maeda.

ENDS