TSX69

Honda N. American Sales Exec Colliver Changes Role

Tuesday February 3, 8:17 pm ET
Honda N. American sales exec Colliver becomes adviser, John Mendel to be auto sales exec VP

TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) -- American Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday John Mendel will take over the automaker's top North American executive position, replacing Richard Colliver as executive vice president of auto sales.

Colliver, who joined Honda in 1993 as senior VP of the Honda Automobile division and who has led the Honda and Acura divisions for more than a decade, will become a senior adviser to the company. He will provide strategic counsel and support to American Honda's dealer body and management team.

Mendel joined Honda in 2004 and has been executive vice president of auto operations since 2007. He will be succeeded in that post by Takashi Sekiguchi, who has served as executive vice president of corporate affairs and product planning since 2008.

The news comes as American Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday its January sales fell almost 30 percent, as its top-selling Civic and Accord models posted big year-over-year declines amid a dismal auto sales environment.

Honda's U.S. division said January sales fell 27.9 percent to 71,031 units, compared with 98,511 in January of last year. Sales of the Accord and Civic models fell more than 30 percent during the month, as consumers avoided even the more economical cars in the Japanese automaker's lineup.

The only vehicles in Honda's lineup to post year-over-year sales increases were the Fit subcompact and the Acura TSX sedan. Sales of the small, fuel-efficient Fit rose about 6 percent to 4,745 units. Sales of the TSX rose 16.1 percent to 2,406 units.

biker

If this guy had anything to do with the approval of the TL, he should go. This downturn is masking the mess that Acura is.

ostrich

"Adviser"!? What the heck does that mean? I am sure it's NOT a promotion!!! LOL!

It really is about time... for the man who brings the "schnoltz" to Acura to go.... YAY!

vybzkartel

Word, man! That's what I think too. He's suddenly 'stepping down' after his approvalof the TL, and what our beloved Honda/Acura have become, lately? Yeah, sure! IMO, he got demoted by the big wigs at HMC

vybzkartel

I think Mendel will do a better job. Afterall, I personally think he helped Mazda get outta the shithole it used to be in! John seem to have a better idea of what a true 'tier 1' brand is suppose to be, than Dick ever did.

ostrich

Oh, and don't forget that he brought us all those horrendous Acura Concept Cars in recent years too - that uber ugly Advanced Sedan Concept car and the Advanced Sports Concept (or whatever you call them). He certainly brought controversy to Acura - unfortunately, not the right kind!!! No "ADVANCE" for him, I guess....!

(Cj)

Moog-Type-S

At this rate a monkey could do a better job running Honda/Acura.

Mokos23

since john is going to run Honda/Acura now, i wonder if the "acura: advance" slogan will be phased out now. i like the old slogan: "Acura: Precision Crafted Performance"

GreenMonster

Glad to see him go... I think he was out of touch with what the dealers and automotive buying public wanted...

They are also going to have a new person in charge of product planning, and if that position was filled by a monkey, it would be a great improvement.

(Cj)

CarbonGray Earl

I always liked that slogan. Had better focus. Advance is trying to be too many things.

dom

Blind monkeys. Lets get it right.

ostrich

My goodness, there is so much love on this board for Dick Colliver... LOL

wackura

Don't ask me why but I sense that the power plenum thing was all his idea and that he assured others around him that it was a really great idea.

TMQ

I don't think he did the design but he certainly provided support to go towards that direction.

I think the fiasco with RL and the lukewarm response of RDX probably have a lot more to do with it. TL is just a final nail.

Contrast that to Chris Bangle. He definitely leaves behind a legacy, even if controversial.

Since Mazda3 the brand has improved significantly. Hopefully same would be true for Honda/Acura.

and yeah, Acura slogan should be about performance. I don't know what Precision crafted really means in terms of automotive technology, but I think something like Efficient Performance would link with the Honda heritage. Obviously, they need some improved mpg to go with the cars.

wackura

Yeah, for as cool as ADVANCE should seem it's been met with universal bewilderment.

It doesn't help that the word is present-tense, "ADVANCE" as opposed to "ADVANCED", meaning Acura hasn't advanced yet but is perpetualy in the process of trying.

LukeaTron

This is about the best news I've heard all year.