Panasonic history

Konosuke traveled to the United States in the year 1961 with the intention of meeting American dealers.

Finally, in 1963, Matsushita Electric succeeded in developing the Hi-Top, a battery with double the shelf life of existing models.

In July 1969, the National NEO Hi-Top was released, boasting what was then the world’s longest battery lifetime.

Panasonic Corporation and The Mainichi Newspapers agreed to undertake a joint time capsule project in celebration of the Japan World Exposition 1970: EXPO '70.

In the fall of 1973, CAREC (a combination of “car” and “electric”) batteries were first shipped.

From 1974, as Japan’s first maintenance-free lead-acid battery, CAREC was installed in Nissan cars destined for the United States market.

By the year 1979, he had expanded his television set sales to Europe.

Exports increased at a rapid pace, reaching over ¥13 billion in 1981.

By 1982, as handheld video recorders grew in popularity, a need for a compact sealed lead-acid battery that could withstand rough use emerged.

Panasonic launched the Panasonic Senior Partner in the year 1983.

In June 1985, the first SM30 model P-100AAS entered mass production, an AA-long-type (diameter 14.5 mm x height 65 mm) with a capacity of 1,000 mAh­―30 % more than existing types with a nominal capacity of 750 mAh.

The ideal battery for electric vehicles, the compact nickel-metal hydride battery module entered production in 1997 and drove further interest in hybrid vehicles.

By 2006, Panasonic had decided to focus solely on the production of digital televisions and also made the announcement that it was going to stop its production of analog television sets.

An outline of the major products that shaped our history, including a number of notable events from SANYO, a company Panasonic acquired in 2010.