Japan's Panasonic Holdings said on Wednesday the first-quarter operating profit of its battery-making energy unit was hit by decreasing sales and faced a decline in production at its automotive battery factory in Japan.
A slowdown in the take-up of electric vehicles in the U.S. may prompt Tesla-supplier Panasonic to delay investing in additional plants to boost its automotive battery capacity in North America, the Japanese group's chief executive said.
Panasonic's stock is currently at a low point due to its association with the declining EV industry. The US is increasing tariffs on Chinese lithium-ion batteries, potentially making Chinese imports more expensive than US-produced cells. Panasonic's ADR ticker changed from PCRFY to PCRHY, and the company terminated its deposit agreement with JP Morgan.