TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Nissan Motor Co. (7201.TO) Friday reported a 43% slide in net profit for the first quarter ended June on the stronger yen and provisions for a loss related to leased car sales activities in the U.S. and Canada.

Japan's third-largest car maker by sales volume after Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. posted a group net profit of Y52.80 billion for the three months ended June 30, down from Y92.31 billion a year earlier.

Its operating profit sagged 46% to Y79.95 billion in the quarter from Y148.44 billion. Its sales fell 4.1% to Y2.347 trillion from Y2.446 trillion.

For the current fiscal year through March, Nissan, in which France's Renault owns a 44% stake, left unchanged its group net profit outlook of Y340 billion, its operating profit projection of Y550 billion and its sales forecast of Y10.350 trillion.

The company reports its earnings based on Japanese accounting standards.

By Yoshio Takahashi, Dow Jones Newswires, 813-5255-2929, yoshio.takahashi@ dowjones.com

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  08-01-08 0323ET
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