Suzuki Q1 op profit quadruples; keeps forecasts

TOKYO Aug 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) posted its highest quarterly operating profit in two years as sales zoomed in India, and stuck to its cautious guidance amid a softer euro, India's monetary tightening and other risks.

Suzuki, in which Volkswagen took a 19.9 percent stake this year, reported an operating profit of 31.95 billion yen ($369 million) for the April-June quarter, up from 6.86 billion yen a year earlier and beating the average 24.5 billion yen estimated by five analysts surveyed by Reuters.

Suzuki weathered the financial crisis better than most thanks to a product line-up heavy on cheaper, small cars such as the Swift hatchback, and to its dominance in the fast-growing Indian market.

For the year to March 2011, Suzuki, also the world's third-biggest motorcycle maker, kept its operating profit forecast at 80 billion yen, roughly flat from last year. A survey of 19 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S forecasts profit of 96 billion yen. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Chris Gallagher)