Biz people: Fukui pins hopes on Accord

Honda Motor Co President Takeo Fukui (right), who spent his career improving the automaker's Accord, is betting that a new version of the car will bolster profits.

The eighth version of the 31-year-old Accord, Honda's best-selling model, is scheduled for this year. Sales may help reverse the 36 percent decline analysts expect in fourth-quarter profit after the company had a one-time gain from its pension costs a year ago.

The redesigned Accord is central to Fukui's efforts to lift US sales 3 percent to 1.56 million vehicles this year. The Tokyo-based automaker has taken customers from General Motors Corp and Ford Motor Co in the US, where it earns about 70 percent of its operating profit.

Fukui, a motorcycle enthusiast, became chief executive in 2003. As an engineer, he helped develop engines that burned fuel more completely, cutting emissions.

(China Daily 04/25/2007 page16)