Mazda Motor Corp. saw group net profit jump 35 percent from a year earlier to a record 45.8 billion yen, while operating profit rose 18 percent to an all-time high of 82.9 billion yen in fiscal 2004, company officials said Thursday.

It was the fourth straight year of rising profits, the Hiroshima-based automaker said.

The automaker attributed the strong performance to robust sales in Europe and the success of its three-year cost-reduction program, which slashed purchasing costs by 25 percent.