Sanyo, Sony Eye Likely Spring Hike in Lithium Ion Battery Prices.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, February, 2004

Kyodo News International, Tokyo Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 24--TOKYO -- Prices of lithium ion batteries, a core component of various electronics devices, may go up in the spring as the world's top producers, Sanyo Electric Co. and Sony Corp., are eying 8-10 percent hikes, a Japanese business daily reported Tuesday.

Sanyo and Sony, holding a 40 percent and 20 percent share of the global market, respectively, have already begun negotiations with users such as producers of cell phones, digital appliances and notebook computers, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.

It is the first time for the two firms to attempt to raise their product prices, the paper said.

Their actions are prompted by rising prices of cobalt, the main...