Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> reported a 47.6 percent drop in quarterly profit, hit by tanking Japanese car sales and a firm yen, highlighting its damaging exposure to the loss-making export business.

For the full year to March 31, the world's biggest automaker lifted its cautious annual operating profit forecast to 550 billion yen ($6.68 billion) from 380 billion yen, after its nine-month profit exceeded the original figure.

A survey of 23 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S forecast annual operating profit of 489 billion yen for Toyota.

For October-December, Toyota's operating profit was 99.07 billion yen, down from 189.1 billion yen a year ago and beating an average 70.6 billion yen estimate in a poll of nine analysts by Reuters.

Third-quarter net profit fell 38.9 percent to 93.63 billion yen.

Nissan Motor <7201.T> and Honda Motor <7267.T> are also seen suffering a drop in third-quarter profit due to the stronger yen and falling demand in Japan, but the decline at Toyota is set to be the deepest given its heavier exposure to unprofitable exports from Japan.

($1=82.32 Yen)

(Editing by Anshuman Daga and Edmund Klamann)

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