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Restructuring of Automotive Lithium-Ion Battery Business
Shift to Joint-stock Partnership Structure with INCJ and Maxell
TOKYO, Dec 26, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) had concluded an agreement with INCJ, Ltd. and Maxell Holdings, Ltd. to restructure the capital affiliation of Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd., Hitachi's wholly owned subsidiaries in the automotive lithium-ion battery business, to form a joint-stock partnership structure with these companies, and had concluded both a basic agreement and share transfer agreement with them.
Specifically, the stocks of Hitachi Vehicle Energy owned by Hitachi, Ltd. will be transferred to INCJ and Maxell. Hitachi Automotive Systems, Hitachi's wholly-owned subsidiary in automotive components and related businesses, will spin off a part of its lithium-ion battery management system business etc. to Hitachi Vehicle Energy through an absorption-type company split, and acquire shares in Hitachi Vehicle Energy equivalent to the value of the spun-off business.
After this transaction, Hitachi Vehicle Energy will become a joint-stock partnership company with an ownership ratio of 47% held by INCJ, 47% by Maxell and 6% by Hitachi Automotive Systems, and will be excluded from the consolidated companies of Hitachi(1).
Hitachi and Hitachi Automotive Systems will pursue further growth by accelerating the strengthening of Social Innovation Businesses, such as advanced mobility, by providing electrification technologies including electric motors and inverters, and autonomous driving technologies such as advanced vehicle control.
Against the background of increasingly stringent environmental regulations in recent years, the market has been expanding for electrified vehicles such as hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, etc. The demand for automotive lithium-ion batteries, a key component of electrified vehicles, has also been increasing year-on-year. However, global competition in the automotive lithium-ion battery market has also intensified as overseas manufacturers become more competitive.
In cooperation with Hitachi Automotive Systems, since its establishment in 2004 Hitachi Vehicle Energy has built business relationships with Japanese and other major global automobile manufacturers, with the production of automotive lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles as its main business.
In light of this situation, Hitachi concluded the above agreements after determining that Hitachi Vehicle Energy will be able to maintain and increase its global competitiveness by utilizing the extensive management resources of the three companies. INCJ has knowledge and an information network amassed through its diverse investment experiences, while Maxell has battery technologies and know-how developed over many years, and Hitachi Automotive Systems has a long record of deliveries to major automobile manufacturers.
Moving forward within its new structure, Hitachi Vehicle Energy will provide high-performance and highly reliable automotive lithium-ion batteries for the expanding electrified vehicle market, conduct advanced development of next-generation battery technologies, and contribute to the development and popularization of electrified vehicles.
About Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company is engaged in the development, manufacture, sales and services of automotive components, transportation related components, industrial machines and systems, and offers a wide range of automotive systems including engine powertrain systems, electric powertrain systems and integrated vehicle control systems.
For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi-automotive.co.jp/en/.
(1) The percentage of voting right is expected to be 76.2% held by INCJ, 14.0% by Maxell and 9.8% by Hitachi Automotive Systems.
Contact:Hitachi Ltd
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-3258-1111
Source: Hitachi, Ltd.
Sectors: Automotive
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