Suzuki Motor Q1 operating profit rises 7% on higher India sales

Operating profit at Japan's 4th largest automaker by sales comes at $586.25 million

Compact car maker Suzuki Motor Corp posted on Wednesday a 7.2 per cent rise in operating profit, as increased sales in India and Europe offset the negative impact of currency fluctuations.

Operating profit at Japan's fourth-largest automaker by sales came in at 59.2 billion yen ($586.25 million), better than an average estimate of around 46.72 billion yen from 10 analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S/.

Vehicle sales in India, its biggest market, rose 5.2 per cent in the April-June period, while sales in Europe rose 15.2 per cent.

Suzuki maintained its forecast for full-year operating profit to slide to 180 billion yen, based on a budgeted annual rate of 105 yen to the US dollar.

($1 = 100.9800 yen)