Panasonic eyes Sanyo; bets on solar power, hybrid cars
Panasonic, the world's top plasma TV maker, is betting on a green future of solar power and hybrid cars as it negotiates a price for rival Sanyo Electric that analysts say could be up to $8.7 billion. A key driver for Panasonic is Sanyo's auto batteries business that powers increasingly popular hybrid and electric vehicles, but it would also secure a foothold in the solar cell industry (...) Sanyo is the world's seventh-largest solar cell maker and competes with bigger rivals such as Germany's Q-Cells