New markets fuel Mitsubishi profits

Mitsubishi Motors sprang back into the black for the first quarter as growth in emerging markets offset damage from the earthquake in north-eastern Japan.

The company posted a 4.3bn yen (€43.15bn) profit for the April-June period, after a loss of 11.8bn yen (€106.1m) a year earlier.

Quarterly sales rose nearly 7% to 431.9 billion (€3.88bn) from the previous year.

The Tokyo-based manufacturer of the i-MiEV electric car raised its first-half forecast because of the better-than-expected quarterly numbers.

But it left its annual forecast unchanged at a 20bn yen (€179.85m) profit, pointing to uncertainties in the global economy.