Toyota hybrid battery supplier has no plans for U.S. output.(NEWS)

Automotive News, June, 2009

Byline: Hans Greimel

The company making batteries for Toyota's hybrid vehicles has no plans to manufacture overseas, even if Toyota Motor Corp. starts making the Prius in the United States.

Yoshiro Hayashi, president of Panasonic EV Energy Co., says his company has enough capacity at home to fill demand for the foreseeable future. Panasonic EV's main plant is running flat out with three shifts and no weekends off. And the company will add a third Japanese plant next year, boosting annual capacity to almost 1 million battery packs.

Current capacity is nearly 70,000 battery packs a month, Hayashi said. Toyota builds 50,000 Priuses a month.

Panasonic EV also supplies battery packs for hybrid versions of the Toyota Camry and...

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