丰田连续创纪录盈利期终结

由于日元的强势升值，丰田公司（Toyota）预计，该公司今年的净利润跌幅或将超过35%。这意味着，丰田在弱势日元时代连续3年刷新纪录的盈利期将就此结束。

据汤森路透（Thomson Reuters）I/B/E/S报道，本周三丰田公司表示，该公司本会计年度（截止到2017年3月）的利润额将从上年的2.31万亿日元下跌至1.5万亿日元（约合138.1亿美元），远低于此前28位分析师做出的平均2.25万亿日元的预期。

丰田虽然是目前全球最有价值的汽车制造商，但利润的剧降意味着，即便来自无人驾驶和替代能源汽车等领域的竞争加剧，丰田也可能难以保持对新技术和新产品的投资。

丰田公司表示，据该公司预测，今年日元兑美元汇率有可能从去年的120：1上浮至105：1。汇率变动有可能给丰田的营业利润造成高达9350亿日元的损失。

丰田董事长兼首席执行官丰田章男在财报发布会上表示：“过去几年的营收成绩，很大程度上得到了汇率的帮助。”并称过去几年的弱势日元时代为“顺风期”。

“但是自从今年初开始，大趋势变了。”

日元币值的波动会对丰田的营收产生重大影响，因为丰田在国内生产的近半数汽车都被出口至国外。日元兑美元的汇率每浮动1日元，都将对丰田的营业利润产生高达4000亿日元的影响。

丰田并未透露它将采取哪些专门措施以对抗强势日元的影响，不过它表示，该公司将继续投资于业绩增长。

丰田常务副总裁伊地知隆彦表示，目前对于汇率的“逆风期”，公司暂时既没有“锦囊妙计”，也没有“灵丹妙药”。

据该公司预计，刨去中国市场的营收，公司今年的营业利润将下跌40%，约为1.7万亿日元。而且这还没有算上上个月日本西南部大地震导致的停产所带来的影响。

今年一季度，丰田的成绩在全球销量第一的汽车厂商——德国大众（Volkswagen）面前显得默然失色。据丰田预计，该公司本财年的汽车销量约为1015万辆，略高于去年的1009.4万辆。

从年初以来，丰田的股价已经下跌了约四分之一。为了给股价撑腰，丰田已经宣布了价值高达46亿美元的股票回购计划。（财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

Toyota TM -6.09% forecast a bigger-than-expected 35% tumble in net profit for the current year due to the sharp appreciation of the yen, ending three straight years of record profits driven in part by a weak currency.

The Japanese automaker said on Wednesday profit for the year ending in March 2017 will fall to 1.5 trillion yen ($13.81 billion) from 2.31 trillion yen in the prior year, and far short of the average 2.25 trillion yen for the current year estimated by 28 analysts, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Lower profits will make it harder for Toyota, the world’s most valuable automaker, to keep investing in new technologies and products even as competition intensifies in areas such as autonomous driverless and alternative-energy vehicles.

Toyota said it was assuming the dollar would average 105 yen this year, versus a far more favorable 120 yen last year. Foreign exchange losses would therefore have a negative impact of 935 billion yen on operating profit this year, it said.

“Earnings results in the past few years have been largely helped by foreign exchange rates,” said Toyota’s President and chief executive Akio Toyoda at an earnings briefing, describing the yen’s weakness as “tailwind.”

“But since the start of this year the tide has changed.”

The yen’s sudden strength is creating a tough business environment for Toyota. Volatility in the yen’s value can have a major impact on Toyota’s earnings, as it exported nearly half of its domestic production in the past year. Each 1 yen move in the dollar/yen rate affects its operating profit by 40 billion yen.

Toyota did not mention any specific measures to counter the strengthening yen, but said it will continue to invest in growth.

There is “no clever scheme” or “magic wand” to counter forex headwinds, said executive vice president Takahiko Ijichi.

The company expects operating profit, which excludes earnings in China, will drop 40% this year to 1.7 trillion yen. That does not take into account any impact caused by production stoppages that followed the deadly earthquakes in southwestern Japan last month, it said.

Toyota, which was eclipsed by Volkswagen as the world’s top-selling car maker in the first quarter, said it expected global sales to inch up to 10.15 million vehicles in the year to March, from 10.094 million last year.

Toyota shares have lost about a quarter of their value in 2016. In a bid to support them, Toyota announced a share buyback of up to $4.6 billion.