A strong yen and the persistent safety recalls notwithstanding, the Toyota City, Japan-based automaker Toyota Wednesday reported a return to profit during the April-June quarter, chiefly due to robust sales in emerging markets and aggressive cost-cutting measures

Revealing that the $2.2 billion profit, for the quarter that ended June 30, was its biggest profit in two years, Toyota added that the profit figures marked a sharp turnaround from the $900 million loss that the company suffered during the same quarter last year. The company also reported that its quarterly revenue this time round stood at $57.3 billion.

The Japanese auto giant – which is the maker of the highly popular Prius and Corolla models – is not only in the process of recovery from the slump brought about by the global downturn, but is also dealing with a series of recalls over defective pedals as well as inquiries into its safety record.

Nonetheless, the cost-cutting measures undertaken by Toyota, along with a 27 percent increase in its global sales – chiefly in North America, Japan, and other Asian countries – have encouraged the company to raise its sales revenue forecast for the year to $229 billion from the earlier projected $226 billion.

Talking about the raised sales forecast, Takuo Sasaki, a Toyota managing officer, said during a Wednesday conference call: “We will do our utmost to reach as many customers with as many vehicles as possible.”