Toyota triples quarterly profit

• Toyota saw a big jump in earnings
• U.S. sales were strong, but there were increases in every other area of the world
• It's a big comeback from the Japan earthquake and tsunami

Toyota says it tripled its global net earnings to $3.2 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared to the same period last year.

For the first half of its fiscal year that began April 1, profit rose 572% compared to last year -- to 548.2 billion yen from 81.5 million -- pushed along by a soaring sales rebound in the U.S.

The huge jump came on a 36.1% increase in revenue, to 10.9 trillion yen ($135 billion) Toyota said in a release from its headquarters in Toyota City, Japan. It said that much of its better performance was due to cost-reduction effort, though those efforts were diluted somewhat by a stronger yen.

"We have seen a significant increase in production in all regions compared to the same period last year when we suffered parts-supply shortage," says Satoshi Ozawa , executive vice president of Toyota Motor, in a statement. The shortage, he noted, was due to the tsunami that struck Japan and then the flooding in Thailand later last year.

Toyota also said today that it expects to earn 1.05 trillion yen (about $9.8 billion) for the full fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, up from a previous prediction of about $9.5 billion. The forecast assumes an exchange rate of 79 yen to the dollar and 100 yen to the euro.

Despite Europe's economic trouble and other makers getting killed there, Toyota reported higher sales in every one of its units around the world, including Europe:

• North America. With the U.S. leading the way, Toyota sold 1.3 million vehicles, up by 572,000. In the U.S., Toyota has scored with its mainstays, the Camry and Corolla sedans, and with its Prius hybrids, which now come in four different versions.
• Japan. Vehicle sales totaled 1.2 million units, an increase of 395,000.
• Europe. It sold 412,000 vehicles, up 51,000. That's an accomplishment considering how other automakers are taking big losses there in sales and profits and the overall market is headed for a 20-year sales low.

Likewise, it saw big increases in Asia, South America and Africa as well.