Honda Motor quarterly profit halves, missing estimates as U.S. auto tariffs bite

A sign marks the location of a Honda dealership in Libertyville, Illinois, on Dec. 18, 2024.Scott Olson | Getty ImagesJapanese auto giant Honda's first-quarter operating fits fell 50% year over year on Wednesday, missing estimates due to U.S. auto tariffs and a stronger yen.Here are Honda's results compared with mean estimates from LSEG:Revenue: 5.34 trillion yen vs. 5.25 trillion yenOperating fit: 244.17 billion yen vs. 323.48 billion yenIn the first quarter of its fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2026, Honda's revenue came in at 5.34 trillion yen, beating mean estimates from LSEG.Operating fit fell 50% to 244.17 billion yen, missing LSEG's mean estimates of 323.48 billion yen.However, Japan's second-biggest carmaker said that the impact of the auto tariffs would be smaller than expected, estimating a 450 billion yen hit for the year compared to the 650 billion yen forecasted previously.Honda also expected the yen to weaken further, as it raised its full-year operating fit forecast by 200 billion yen, or 40%, to 700 billion yen compared to its previous forecast of 500 billion yen.The U.S. accounted for around a quarter of Honda's exports from Japan in the first half of the year

Trump last month announced a new trade deal with Japan that is said to include a lower tariff rate of 15% on Japan-made vehicle imports to the U.S

However, the timeframe for the change to take effect was not clarified.In June, the value of Tokyo's car exports to the U.S. fell 25.3% year over year, even though car export volumes to the U.S. rose by 4.6% in the same period, according to data from Japan's trade ministry.Tariffs hit Japan's auto giantsOther Japanese car makers have also been suffering from trade headwinds

On July 30, Japan's Nissan reported a net loss of 115.8 billion yen for the first quarter, attributing adverse exchange rate movements and the impact of U.S. tariffs.Toyota, Japan's largest carmaker, is set to report earnings on Thursday, with economists polled by Reuters expecting that it will post its lowest operating fit in over two years

That comes despite the company reporting that its worldwide sales reached record highs in the first six months of the year.Back in February, Honda and Nissan terminated talks over a $60 billion merger, which would have created the world's third-largest automaker by sales volume.Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday he would not hesitate to speak with President Donald Trump to ensure the cut to U.S. automobile tariffs is implemented soon.The country's chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa left for Washington on Tuesday, seeking to press Trump to sign an executive order that would confirm the exact date for the auto tariffs to be lowered.