Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it posted record net profit and group sales in the first half of fiscal 2005, led by brisk sales in North America and the absence of a one-time tax payment.

The figures mark a fifth consecutive year of record highs in the categories.

Honda's net profit during the April-September period grew 1.2 percent year-on-year to a record 244.3 billion, yen while sales rose 10.5 percent from a year earlier to 4.6 trillion yen.