TOKYO — Honda Motor is set to report a group operating profit surpassing 450 billion yen ($3.08 billion) for the first quarter ended June, it was learned Monday, a new quarterly record fueled by strong sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. market.
Operating profit apparently jumped by roughly 20% on the year. This would be the first time a Honda quarterly operating profit topped 400 billion yen, and also the second year in a row that the Japanese automaker turned in an all-time high for the first quarter.