Honda Cycle Sales Up 13.9%
Japan’s Honda Motor Co. says consolidated net income for the year ended March 31, 2004 totaled JPY 464.3 billion (USD 4,393 million), an increase of 8.8% from the previous year. Basic net income per Common Share for the year amounted to JPY 486.91 (USD 4.61), compared to JPY 439.43 for the previous year. Two of Honda’s American Depositary Shares represent one Common Share.
Consolidated net sales and other operating revenue for the year amounted to JPY 8,162.6 billion (USD 77,232 million), an increase of 2.4% from last year. Revenue included a negative effect of currency translation caused by translation of foreign currency denominated revenue from overseas subsidiaries into yen. Honda estimates that if the exchange rate of yen had remained unchanged from that in the previous year, revenue for the year would have increased by approximately 6.4%.
Consolidated operating income for the year totaled JPY 600.1 billion (USD 5,678 million), a decrease of 17.2% compared to the previous year. This decrease in operating income was primarily due to negative impacts of depreciation of U.S. dollar and an increase in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses, which offset positive impacts of increased revenue from increased unit sales and ongoing cost reduction effects.
Consolidated income before income taxes for the year totaled JPY 641.9 billion (USD 6,074 million), an increase of 5.3% compared to the previous year.
With respect to Honda’s sales for the year by business category, motorcycle unit sales increased 13.9% to 9,206 thousand units. In Japan, unit sales of motorcycles decreased 6.7% to 403 thousand units, while overseas unit sales increased 15.1% to 8,803 thousand units. Revenue from motorcycle business increased 1.9% to JPY 996.2 billion (USD 9,427 million) due primarily to increased sales. Operating income decreased 25.9% to JPY 42.4 billion (USD 401 million).
Revenue from financial services increased 2.0% to JPY 245.8 billion (USD 2,326 million).
Operating income was JPY 108.4 billion (USD 1,026 million), increased by 0.6% from the previous year.
For power products, unit sales for the year was increased by 10.1% to 5,047 thousand units compared with the previous year. Of them, unit sales in Japan totaled 477 thousand units, increased by 1.1% from the previous year, and overseas unit sales increased 11.1% to 4,570 thousand units, due primarily to increased sales in North America. Revenue from power product and other businesses increased by 4.7% to JPY 341.6 billion (USD 3,233 million) due mainly to increased sales in power products. Operating income increased 28.3% to JPY 10.3 billion (USD 98 million).
In North America, revenue decreased by 0.8% from the previous year to JPY 4,673.0 billion (USD 44,214 million), due to negative impact of appreciation of yen against U.S. dollar, although unit sales in motorcycles, automobiles and power products increased. Operating income in North America decreased by 30.2% to JPY 310.1 billion (USD 2,935 million) from the previous year.