Lexus, the luxury arm of Japanese car maker Toyota, announced the appointment of Naveen Soni as the President of Lexus India with effect from January 1. Soni will succeed P B Venugopal, who will be moving to a new leadership role at Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), India. Mazakasu Yoshimura will continue as the Chairman of Lexus India. The industry veteran has over 29 years of experience, including over two decades of association with TKM, across areas covering business development, marketing, sales, PR and CSR.
“I believe that it is going to be an exciting journey in the dynamic and vibrant Indian luxury market, where luxury consumers are evolving to strongly adopt the concept of responsible luxury. This is where we see an opportunity for Lexus India to expand its operations through its portfolio of self-charging hybrid electric vehicles,” Soni said.
Soni, who was associated with Toyota Kirloskar Motors prior to taking up the new position, comes at the helm at a time when the company is looking to expand its business in the domestic market with new products and services, while continuing to focus on increasing the footprints of electrified vehicles in India, the company said. Soni has also held the position of co-chair of the environment and sustainability panel of CII Karnataka, chairperson of the CSR Panel of SIAM as well as President of SAFE (Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment) Council of SIAM, among others, the release added.