Japanese automaker Mazda reported a 68 percent jump in profit Tuesday in the first half of the fiscal year and raised its outlook for the full year, citing strong sales in Europe. Mazda Motor Corp., 33.4 percent owned by Ford Motor Co. of the United States, recorded group net profit of 18.7 billion yen (US$177 million; euro 137 million) in the six months ended Sept. 30, up from 11.2 billion yen the same period a year ago. Sales surged 9.2 percent to 1.3 trillion yen (US$12.5 billion; euro 9.7 billion) from 1.2 trillion yen.
