Its net profit shot up 221.1 percent from a year earlier to 9.54 billion yen (88.3 million dollars) in the three months to September as pre-tax profit climbed 62.1 percent to 9.18 billion yen.

Sales, including patent licensing revenue, increased 5.6 percent to 168.0 billion yen.

Car electronics sales in Japan rose 4.4 percent to 25.77 billion yen, Pioneer said.

Sales in Japan also increased for cellular phone devices such as organic electroluminescent display panels and factory automation systems.

The group also enjoyed strong growth in overseas sales of recordable digital video disc (DVD) drives for personal computer use, it said.

In the half year to September, Pioneer scored 120.3 percent growth in net profit to 12.48 billion yen. Its group recurring profit climbed 43.6 percent to 16.59 billion yen on almost flat sales of 321.09 billion yen.

For the full year to March 2004, Pioneer raised its net profit forecast to 25 billion yen from 20 billion yen projected in April.

It also upgraded its pre-tax profit forecast to 41 billion yen from 37 billion yen. Its sales estimate was revised down to 730 billion yen from 760 billion yen forecast in April due to the sale of audio-video software business subsidiaries.

SPACE.WIRE