Disney Board Nears CEO Decision as Josh D’Amaro Emerges as Leading Candidate 
SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz 
S&P 500 Rises as AI Stocks and Small Caps Rally on Strong Earnings Outlook 
Australia’s Corporate Regulator Urges Pension Funds to Boost Technology Investment as Industry Grows 
Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate 
Asian Currencies Strengthen as Indian Rupee and Australian Dollar Rally 
Japan Finance Minister Defends PM Takaichi’s Remarks on Weak Yen Benefits 
Japan Services Sector Records Fastest Growth in Nearly a Year as Private Activity Accelerates 
Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure 
SoftBank and Intel Partner to Develop Next-Generation Memory Chips for AI Data Centers 
Gold Prices Rebound Near Key Levels as U.S.-Iran Tensions Boost Safe-Haven Demand 
AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock 
Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand 
Sandisk Stock Soars After Blowout Earnings and AI-Driven Outlook 
Nvidia Confirms Major OpenAI Investment Amid AI Funding Race 
Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile 
Panasonic's battery manufacturing arm is reportedly set to supply Subaru with electric vehicle (EV) batteries, strengthening Panasonic's position in Japan's burgeoning EV sector. The partnership, intended to enhance Panasonic's customer network, coincides with an announcement about the company's first-quarter earnings.
With automotive batteries as a priority investment, Panasonic's group company plans to establish a new production facility in North America to expand its EV battery capacity. Panasonic recently agreed to provide Mazda Motor Corp with batteries for its EV models set to launch in the latter half of the 2020s.
As a prominent battery supplier for Tesla Inc, Panasonic Energy faces increasing competition from global rivals such as LG Corp and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co (CATL) from China. Notably, Panasonic's cylindrical lithium-ion batteries are gaining recognition for their remarkable fast-charging performance, aligning with the rising demand for EVs in the pursuit of reducing global carbon dioxide emissions.
Panasonic aims to bolster its global market share as Chinese and South Korean competitors strengthen their presence. While no source was provided, there is a possibility that Subaru may adopt 4680 batteries, the latest cells championed by Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk. Panasonic's energy unit is exploring plans to ramp up production for these advanced batteries.
Panasonic and Subaru are set to disclose their first-quarter earnings results, with Panasonic reporting on Monday and Subaru on Wednesday. While Panasonic is evaluating various growth strategies for its automotive business, Subaru, which heavily relies on the North American market, refrained from offering any comments.
Additionally, it is worth mentioning that Panasonic's energy unit and Mazda Motor announced in June their intentions to initiate discussions for establishing a battery supply partnership targeting EVs. Subaru has its sights set on achieving global sales of 200,000 battery-powered vehicles per year by around 2026 to tap into the expanding EV market.
Photo: Ryunosuke Kikuno/Unsplash
