Mazda Profit Soars in Fiscal First Half

Mazda Motor Corp. of Tokyo said profit for the fiscal first half quadrupled from a year ago as a weaker yen and popular models boosted overseas revenue.

Japan’s No. 5 automaker, which is 33.4% owned by Ford Motor Co., reported net income of $46 million for the six months through September, up sharply from $10.9 million for the same period a year ago. First-half sales climbed 12% to $9.7 billion from $8.7 billion a year ago. Mazda sold 498,000 vehicles for the first half, up 1.1% from a year ago.