Honda now forecasts its net profit in the current business year to rise 1.9 percent to
The net profit outlook was revised upward from a previously projected
"High vaccination rates and economic stimulus packages globally led to a rise in sales in the April-June quarter despite an ongoing shortage in semiconductors," said Honda Executive Vice President
The automaker will be unable to avoid the impact of lockdowns in some Asian countries due to recent spikes in coronavirus cases, though the firm plans to minimize it by optimizing global operations, he added.
In the year to March, Honda downgraded its vehicle sales estimate to 4.85 million units from the previous outlook of 5 million, while those of motorcycles are also cut to 17.4 million units from 18 million units due to the recent COVID-19 resurgence.
In the April-June period, the automaker posted an operating profit of
Honda's global auto sales in the three months to June rose 26.0 percent to 998,000 units, while those of motorcycles soared 109.1 percent to 3.88 million units.
==Kyodo
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