Honda Motor Posts First-Ever Annual Loss Since Listing

By Kosaku Narioka

Honda Motor reported its first-ever annual net loss since listing in 1957 and projected a return to profit in the new fiscal year.

The Japanese automaker said Thursday that it swung to a net loss of 423.94 billion yen, equivalent to $2.68 billion, for the 12 months ended March.

Honda said in March that expenses and losses related to the reassessment of its electric-vehicle strategy could total as much as Y2.500 trillion for the year ended March and subsequent years.

Honda canceled the launch and development of certain models in response to a slowdown in the North American EV market.

The Japanese automaker's EV strategy re-evaluation comes after its rivals made similar moves to pull back from EVs.

Honda is aiming to improve its hybrid EV models to shore up its car business's profitability.

The stock has fallen 17% year to date through Wednesday, weighed by concerns about the impact from the Middle East conflict and U.S. tariffs.

For the year that began in April, Honda projected revenue of Y23.150 trillion and a net profit of Y260.00 billion.

The annual net loss was wider than the estimate of Y306.2 billion in a poll of analysts by data provider Visible Alpha and compared with net profit of Y835.84 billion the previous fiscal year.

Fiscal-year revenue rose 0.5% to Y21.797 trillion.

Write to Kosaku Narioka at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-14-26 0112ET