Honda Motor Co Chief Executive Takanobu Ito wipes away perspiration as he appears with his replacement as the big boss of the company, Takahiro Hachigo. Hachigo is a low profile engineer at Honda which may contribute to Mr. Ito’s embarrassment. In fact, he is being removed following a huge series of recalls related to potentially explosive air bags. In addition, Japan’s No.3 auto maker has hit a rough patch over the past year with quality problems on its popular Fit hybrid subcompact, which Ito conceded earlier this month could have been caused at least in part by an aggressive sales target.
