Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it expects a net loss of 670 billion yen ($6.4 billion) in fiscal 2020, as the new coronavirus pandemic hits auto demand, adding pressure on the carmaker already struggling to restore profitability after the 2018 arrest of former boss Carlos Ghosn.

Nissan's group net loss projection for the current business year to March 2021 follows a loss of 671.22 billion yen last fiscal year.

The carmaker expects a group operating loss of 470 billion yen, expanding hugely from 40.47 billion yen in loss the previous year, on sales of 7.8 trillion yen, down 21.0 percent.

For the April-June quarter, Nissan posted a group net loss of 285.59 billion yen, a heavy plunge from a profit of 6.38 billion yen a year earlier. It also logged an operating loss of 153.93 billion yen, compared to a profit of 1.61 billion yen. Sales came in at 1.17 trillion yen, down by 50.5 percent.

==Kyodo

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