Honda’s profit slips as President Trump’s tariffs  take their toll on Japanese automakers

TOKYO, Nov 7: Honda reported Friday that its profit for the first fiscal half through September fell 37 per cent from the previous year, as the damage from President Donald Trump’s tariffs offset the lift from solid motorcycle sales. Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. recorded a 311.8 billion yen (USD2 billion) profit for April-September, down from 494.6 billion yen a year before. Sales over the six months totalled 10.6 trillion yen (USD 69 billion), down 1.5 per cent from nearly 10.8 trillion yen. Honda lowered its profit projection for the fiscal year through March 2026 to 300 billion yen (USD 2 billion), which would be a decline of 64 per cent from 835.8 billion yen the year before. It had earlier forecast a 420 billion yen (USD 2.7 billion) annual profit. Honda, which makes the Acc