Honda's Top U.S. Sales Executive Retiring to Start Distillery
- Executive VP Mendel says he’s proudest of avoiding fleet sales
- Company veteran Jeff Conrad steps in after U.S. sales record
John Mendel
Photographer: Chris Goodney/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Honda Motor Co.’s top U.S. sales executive John Mendel is retiring to start a micro-distillery with his sons and will be replaced by company marketing veteran Jeff Conrad.
Mendel, 62, has been a leading voice on auto sales trends in the U.S., often criticizing rivals for lower-priced sales to fleet companies that hurt the resale values of retail customers’ vehicles. As a sales executive since 2004, Mendel endured the collapse of the U.S. market eight years ago, an earthquake and tsunami in Japan that crippled factory production in 2011, and record recalls of Takata Corp. air bags that have hit Honda hardest.