Mazda Motor Corp. sold a record number of vehicles in China during the first half of the business year as government stimulus measures boosted demand.
The Hiroshima-based carmaker sold 91,000 vehicles in China in the six months through September, Chief Executive Officer Takashi Yamanouchi said Thursday at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Mazda, which exports 85 percent of its domestic production, expects to post an operating profit in the second half after government rebates and tax cuts in Asia, the U.S. and Europe spurred automobile demand. The company earlier this month raised its full-year sales target to 1.155 million vehicles from 1.1 million.
Incentives helped China's monthly car sales surge 84 percent in September from a year earlier, topping 1 million for the first time.
Mazda on Oct. 5 posted a preliminary ¥26 billion net loss for the six months ended Sept. 30. The carmaker will raise as much as ¥93.6 billion by selling stock to develop more fuel-efficient cars, it said Oct. 14.