Subaru forecasts weakest annual profit in 9 years due to coronavirus

[TOKYO] Subaru Corp forecast on Tuesday that its annual operating profit would drop to a nine-year low this year as it expects to take a sales hit due to the coronavirus pandemic which has sapped global demand for cars.

Japan's No. 7 automaker expects annual operating profit to sink 62 per cent to 80 billion yen (S$1.04 billion), its lowest since the 2011/12 year, and weaker than estimates for a 133 billion yen annual profit compiled from 19 analysts polled by Refinitiv.

It posted an operating loss of 15.7 billion yen in the April-June quarter, its biggest quarterly operating loss in nearly 11 years due to a slump in car sales in the United States, its largest market where the number of coronavirus infections continues to climb.

REUTERS