The recent visit of Toshihiro Mibe, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., marked a significant moment for Honda Italia Industriale S.p.A. and all of the Group’s Italian sites. It was both a symbolic and operational journey that strengthened the connection between the company’s global vision and the local excellence that fuels its success in Europe.
Accompanied by Katsuhisa Okuda, President of Honda Motor Europe Ltd., and a delegation of top executives, Toshihiro Mibe visited the Atessa plant in the Abruzzo region – the beating heart of Honda’s two-wheeler production in Europe. With 1,100 associates and an annual capacity of 150,000 motorcycles, the plant stands as a model of industrial excellence. Every 90 seconds, a new motorcycle leaves the production lines, each one certified to the highest standards of quality and safety.
The delegation toured key areas of the facility, including logistics, energy management, process quality, and new development projects. A highlight of the visit was a meeting with operators and young associates, where discussions focused on sustainability, innovation, and passing professional values across generations. To conclude the day, the President planted an olive tree on-site – a symbolic gesture of growth and renewal. Toshihiro Mibe’s institutional visit to Italy began on September 3 at the R&D centre in Milan and included a tribute at the Ayrton Senna Memorial at the Autodromo di Imola – a symbol of Honda’s deep ties with motorsport.
The tour concluded on September 5 at the commercial branch of Honda Motor Europe Ltd. – Italia in Rome, where the performance and strategies of various divisions were reviewed:
- Motorcycles: market leader in Italy with a 26.1% share and over 68,000 units sold.
- Automobiles: 20% growth in the first eight months of 2025, driven by the Full Hybrid range, bucking the national market trend.
- Marine: strong performance of the new outboard engines Honda BF350 and Honda BF300 – the first V8 in Honda’s history – with a growing 23.4% market share in the high-power segment.
- Power Products: excellent results from the engine-powered range and steady development of innovative, sustainable solutions such as the Honda Miimo robotic lawnmower family.
“The visit of President Mibe represents an important recognition for Honda Italia and for the role our Atessa plant plays in the Group’s European strategy”, said Shinichi Ikeda, President of Honda Italia. Echoing this sentiment, Marcello Vinciguerra, Director of the Atessa plant, added: “His presence allowed us to share not only our business projects but also the value of the people who contribute every day to the plant’s success”. Toshihiro Mibe’s visit to Italy reaffirmed Honda Motor Co.’s commitment to combining a global vision with the valorisation of local excellence, placing innovation, sustainability, and people at the heart of its strategy to face future challenges and continue leading the evolution of mobility in Europe and worldwide.
