October 26, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 13, 1428

TOKYO, Oct 25: Japan’s second largest automaker Honda Motor Co. on Thursday reported record net profit for the six months to September and revised up its full-year forecast on strong sales overseas.

Honda is one of the pioneers of environmentally friendly cars, which have proven to be major hits, particularly in the US, at a time of soaring oil prices.

“Our cost-cutting efforts in our entire business offset the negative effect from the foreign exchange rate and high prices of resources,” Fumihiko Ike, a Honda managing director, told a news conference.

Honda enjoyed net profit of 374.6 billion yen ($3.25bn) over the six months, up 38.1pc from the same period a year earlier, a company statement said.—AFP