John Mendel

Accavitti expands Honda role

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 18, 2013
Mike Accavitti, the former Chrysler executive who became American Honda's chief marketing officer in 2011, is adding responsibility for several key departments, including product planning.... Read More »

 

Strong Accord sales can't overcome Civic transition for Honda

4:17 pm U.S. ET | March 1, 2013
American Honda's February sales fell 2 percent, as rare slumps by such volume models as the Civic, CR-V and Odyssey offset a strong month for the redesigned Accord.... Read More »

 

NADA CONVENTION

Stop whining about yen, Honda exec tells Detroit 3

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
Tough talk from Detroit about the weakening yen giving Japanese automakers an unfair advantage in the United States "doesn't pass the sniff test," says American Honda's top sales executive.... Read More »

 

MARK RECHTIN

No softballs at the Power roundtable

11:36 am U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013
Most Q&A sessions at industry conferences are loaded with softballs, easy questions lobbed for the on-stage executive speaker to knock out of the park. But making AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson the grand inquisitor -- especially when his target is Honda exec John Mendel -- changes the scenario in a big way.... Read More »

 

Honda to Detroit: Quit crying over exchange rates

12:44 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013
Tough talk from Detroit about the more favorable yen giving Japanese automakers an unfair advantage in the U.S. market “doesn't pass the sniff test,” American Honda's top sales executive said today. “No one was saying, 'Gee, I hope they are OK,' when the yen went from 115 to 75 and we were on our deathbed,” John Mendel, an American Honda executive vice president, said at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention here.... Read More »

 

On the record

5:32 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013
JOHN MENDEL, American Honda Motor Co. executive vice president... Read More »

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS WORLD CONGRESS

Honda's Mendel: Faulty mpg claims hurt the industry

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013
Automakers' overstating of their fuel economy numbers have injured the reputation of the entire industry, Honda's top U.S. sales executive said.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Auto industry scolding evokes echoes of the past

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013
We all recall the tongue-lashing Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik gave the industry four years ago in a speech at the Chicago Auto Show. Last week Krafcik got some of his own medicine when American Honda sales boss John Mendel gave a speech at the Automotive News World Congress.... Read More »

 

L.A. AUTO SHOW

Looming fiscal cliff troubles auto execs

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012
LOS ANGELES -- Auto executives are watching federal negotiations to avoid looming spending cuts and tax hikes, but say they can only prepare for the worst if Democrats and Republicans in Washington fail to reach a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff on Jan. 1.
The uncertainty and emotional fallout from the game of chicken in Washington could take a toll beyond the dollars in consumers' pockets, some executives suggest.... Read More »

 

Post-Sandy demand to boost November auto sales, Toyota says

9:22 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 27, 2012
Toyota's top U.S. sales executive said consumers purchasing new vehicles to replace those lost during Superstorm Sandy will mean strong November U.S. auto sales. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, November U.S. sales will be between 14.8 million and 15.2 million new vehicles, Jim Lentz, president and chief executive of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said Tuesday.... Read More »

 

Honda, despite Sandy's impact, still expects 25% U.S. sales gain for 2012

11:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 19, 2012
Honda's rebound in the United States will continue through 2012’s final months, helping the carmaker boost sales about 25 percent this year even after Hurricane Sandy reduced October gains, said sales chief John Mendel.... Read More »

 

Civic propels American Honda to 48% gain

5:34 pm U.S. ET | June 1, 2012
American Honda posted its best May since 2008 with sales of 133,997 units, up 48 percent from a year ago when Japan's March 2011 earthquake began to disrupt inventories.... Read More »