(November 5, 2012) Toyota today reported a sales surge of 45 percent in North America in the latest quarter while operating profit doubled to help the automaker raise its full-year profit outlook.

Regional sales climbed to 598,000 units in the three months ended Sept. 30, the company's fiscal second quarter, up from 413,000 a year earlier, when sales worldwide were hampered by the earthquake in Japan, Automotive News reported.

Operating profit in North America jumped to $807.1 million in the quarter. Toyota attributed that partly to increased output. Toyota's global net profit more than tripled to $3.2 billion.

With U.S. demand rebounding and Toyota's supply chain back to normal, Japan's biggest carmaker increased North American production 42 percent to 391,000 vehicles in the quarter. The healthy results in North America helped offset sliding business in China.

Source: Automotive News