Honda’s fourth-quarter profit rose nearly 6% as the Japanese car giant’s recovery from floods in Thailand the previous year offset recent sales losses in China.

Japanese car giant Mitsubishi said today that its second-quarter net profit improved 60% to 10.1 billion yen on cost cuts, but lowered its projection for China, where a bitter territorial dispute is sending sales plunging.

Japanese car giant Honda said April-June profits quadrupled to 131.7 billion yen (€1.37bn) as it bounced back from last year’s natural disasters.

HONDA’S human-shaped robot can now run faster, balance itself on uneven surfaces, hop on one foot and pour a drink.

THE lights dimmed, the sold-out hall grew hushed and out walked the conductor — shiny, white and 4ft 3in.