[regularmember]

Honda has been coasting for years now and has lost a lot of ground. I'm glad Ito has been ousted and I hope Hachigo has 'the right stuff' to guide Honda to catch up with the rest of the industry.

This is a false impression of what Ito has done: Ito has introduced the Earth Dreams engines and CVTs, built several factories around the world, is bringing turbos, the 8DCT debuted world-class hybrid tech, got Honda back into F1, is finally seeing HondaJet get off the ground - not to mention shaken up everything from design to parts procurement to R&D. If you don't like him that's fine but he's done anything but coast.

 

[regularmember]

Honda has had PR up for a while now:

http://world.honda.com/news/2015/c150223New-President/index.html

I think the fact that Honda's quality image is in doubt puts into perspective the lens with which we see different automakers through. Ford has recalled the current Escape 15 times (seriously...15!) and yet Ford's current image is that they are making some of the best cars they've ever made and the Escape sells fairly well and Alan Mullaly is the best CEO ever in history who "saved" Ford and yet they are still making cars of questionable quality. Honda recalls the Fit 5 times and CEOs are getting fired and it's being treated as a crisis by the media. Which for Honda it is. Just interesting to me that some automakers are given a pass. I can sort of understand some of Honda's frustration with the way the media has treated them this past year with the whole Takata mess.