Isuzu Set to Beat Full-year Profit Forcast

TOKYO, Sept 3, 2003; Reuters reported that Japanese truck maker Isuzu Motors Ltd 7202.T is likely to beat its full-year operating profit target thanks to restructuring and a recovery in domestic truck demand, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said on Wednesday.

Isuzu had forecast that parent-only operating profit would grow by 200 percent on the year to 40 billion yen ($343.4 million) for the 12 months to March, but that figure is now expected to be larger, the paper said.

The paper gave no new figure for projected full-year profit.

Isuzu, 12 percent owned by U.S. auto giant General Motors Corp GM.N , is set to post a parent-only operating profit of around 25 billion yen for the six months to September, after a loss of 15.9 billion yen a year earlier, the paper said.

Isuzu officials were not immediately available for comment.