TOKYO -- Honda Motor's future course depends largely on whether it can revive its sales in the crucial American market. Disappointing earnings in the U.S. are offsetting the Japanese automaker's gains elsewhere and muddying its growth outlook.
Honda President Takanobu Ito has been striving to put the carmaker on a growth track under a six-region strategy. Honda President Takanobu Ito, who will step down in June, attempted to pull the company out of the industrywide slump triggered by the 2008 global financial crisis and lay a solid foundation for future growth. But after a temporary rebound, the automaker's earnings are showing signs of slackening once more. Its global sales in the year ending in March are expected fall short of its target by nearly 400,000 vehicles.
