Honda consolidated net income for the fiscal second quarter ended September 30 totaled JPY 54.0 billion ($599 million), a decrease of 56.2 percent from the same period in 2008. Revenue for the quarter amounted to JPY 2,056.6 billion ($22.799 billion), a decrease of 27.2 percent from the same period in 2008.

Second quarter motorcycle and ATV sales totaled 2,407,000 units, a decrease of 16.8 percent from the same three-month period last year.

In North America, Honda second quarter revenue decreased by 34.3 percent to JPY 899.4 billion ($9.971 billion) compared to the second quarter of 2008. Motorcycle and ATV sales in North America for the recently ended quarter totaled 43,000 units, down 50,000 units compared to the same three-month period last year.

Honda motorcycle sales decreased in all regions in which the company does business, and “dropped significantly” in the U.S., Brazil and Thailand, according to the OEM.

“The U.S. economy seems to have bottomed out, although the duration of the decline is still a concern,” the OEM announced in its second quarter financial statement.

Honda anticipates motorcycle and ATV sales for its year ending March 31, 2010, to total 9.56 million units, down 549,000 units compared to last year.

- Submitted by Guido Ebert