Maruti Suzuki Board appoints Hisashi Takeuchi as MD and CEO from April 1

Maruti Suzuki India Limited's Board of Directors has appointed Hisashi Takeuchi as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer with effect from April 1. The new appointment comes upon the completion of the term of Kenichi Ayukawa on March 31.

Ayukawa will continue as a Whole-time Director designated as Executive Vice Chairman till September 30 in order to facilitate smooth transition. He will also continue to provide guidance to the Company. These appointments are subject to shareholder approval.

Takeuchi had joined Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) in 1986. He comes with vast experience in the international operations at SMC as well as in overseas markets, and he has been on the Board of Maruti Suzuki since July 2019 and as Joint Managing Director (Commercial) since April 2021. Speaking about the transition, he said, "Maruti Suzuki is a great organization with a rich legacy and it will be my endeavor that we keep serving more and more customers both in India and the world... We will also try to build our business in a manner that strengthens Atma-Nirbhar Bharat and the economic growth of India."

Ayukawa has been the Managing Director of Maruti Suzuki India Limited since April 2013. Speaking about the transition, he said, “India is one of the most interesting and promising automobile markets in the world and it has been both a challenging and a fulfilling stint for me." Wishing Takeuchi a successful journey ahead, he added that Takeuchi has “an excellent understanding of the Indian as well as international markets and is placed well to lead Maruti Suzuki into the future."

In a separate development, the company's 2022 Baleno model got 50,000 bookings in a month since launch. The model has been launched in the market at a starting price of ₹6.35 lakh, with pricing going up to ₹9.49 lakh (ex-showroom).