According to recent auto reports, the United States head of Honda is retiring to instead make gin and vodka with his sons. John Mendel, 62, and the executive vice president for the Japanese carmaker at the American Honda Motor Corporation in Torrance told a group of dealers in a recent press conference Monday night that he is indeed retiring.

Honda U.S. Exec To Retire

According to The Los Angeles Times, he does go out on a high note: Honda sales in the United States just last year were up by 3.2% to 1.64 million vehicles. The highly respected and well-loved Mendel joined Honda in 2004 and was credited with guiding the parent company away from sales duds and focusing more on vehicles that U.S. customers truly wanted: the Civic, the Accord, the CR-V, and the Pilot.

Mendel's Contributions To The Company

Mendel has also helped the company throughout its several crises, including a 2011 earthquake in Japan that caused a massive shortage in parts and production cuts, as well as the more recent Takata Corporation air bag recall scandal, which hit Honda especially hard.

What's Next For Mendel

According to Russia Beyond The Headlines, the next thing for Mendel is going to be a micro-distillery that he is currently setting up with his sons at Mammoth Lakes. Called the Devil's Creek Distillery, they are planning to start out with clear spirits first, including a corn-based moonshine product, as what Mendel conveyed during a recent interview.

Who Will Replace Mendel?

They will also be putting up some bourbon and rye for future releases as well. "I have learned a lot about the distilling business lately," Mendel said. According to reports, Mendel will be replaced by Jeff Conrad, senior VP and current GM of Honda's U.S. auto division.

Just last December 2016, another Asian automaker lost its U.S. head when Hyundai's Dave Zuchowski resigned in a management reshuffle. After that, Hyundai sales in the U.S. have been disappointing top executives at the South Korea company.