Nissan Motor Co.'s net income rose 8.1 per cent to 125 billion yen (1.14 billion dollars) in the July-to-September quarter of the 2005 business year that ends in March 2006, the company reported Friday. "Despite the severe business environment, Nissan's fundamentals continue to strengthen thanks to appealing products and a competitive cost structure," dpa quoted Nissan President Carlos Ghosn as saying. The company's net sales also increased 11.5 per cent to 2.35 trillion yen (21.43 billion dollars) in the same period, compared to last year. The Japanese partner of Renault sold 955,000 cars worldwide from July to September, an increase of 15.6 per cent from last year. Nissan's group operating profit in the first six months increased 2.0 per cent from last year to a record 411.54 billion yen since global sales increased 15 per cent and automobile parts procurement costs were reduced. --mor 1355 Local Time 1055 GMT
