Suzuki books Q4 profit; sees black ink this year

TOKYO May 11 (Reuters) - Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) said on Monday it easily escaped a loss in the final quarter thanks to growth in its main Indian market, but forecast an 87 percent drop in profit this year as slumping global demand and a strong yen take their toll.

Suzuki, a maker of compact cars such as the Swift hatchback, booked a fourth-quarter operating profit of 10.45 billion yen ($106 million), beating a consensus estimate of a 2 billion yen profit in a survey of 17 analysts by Thomson Reuters. It made a profit of 32.4 billion yen a year earlier.

Net profit fell 54 percent to 5.8 billion yen.

For the year to March 31, 2010, Suzuki expects an operating profit of 10 billion yen, far short of a consensus forecast of a 42 billion yen profit.

It expects net profit to sink 82 percent to 5 billion yen, based on an assumption that the dollar and euro will average 90 yen and 115 yen, respectively.

Suzuki has been relatively shielded by its big exposure to India where it controls about half of the car market through local unit Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MRTI.BO). [ID:nDEL485359]

Shares of Suzuki have jumped more than 60 percent in the year to date, far better than a 44 percent rise in Tokyo's transport subindex .ITEQP.T. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Chris Gallagher)