NISSAN said today that its net profit for the half-year to September slipped 12% from a year earlier, but it raised its earnings outlook for the full year on projections of higher sales.

Japan’s second-biggest car manufacturer said net profit for the half-year came to 183.4 billion yen (£1.5bn), as sales rose 1.1% to 4.367 trillion yen (£34.2bn).

The maker of the March subcompact and Leaf electric car said it was raising its full-year forecast to 290 billion yen (£2.3bn) from the 270 billion yen (£2.2bn) projected in June.