Jun. 24--TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Corp., a major trading house, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and GS Yuasa Corp. will jointly build a new manufacturing plant for large-size lithium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday.

Construction of the plant is expected to start as early as autumn with 2011 targeted for its operational startup.

The joint project, which calls for a total investment of more than ¥10 billion, comes in response to MMC's future plan to increase production of its electric vehicle, the i-MiEV, which will be launched in late July, industry sources said.

Lithium-ion batteries to be produced at the planned plant will also be supplied to other domestic and foreign carmakers.

Lithium-ion batteries serve as the "heart" of electric vehicles and demand for them is expected to soar in view of global concerns about eco-friendly energy sources. The three firms want to lead the world in this field.

The envisioned plant will have a production capacity of batteries for more than 10,000 electric vehicles a year. Their existing lithium-ion battery producing plant in Shiga Prefecture has a capacity to supply batteries for 2,000 vehicles a year.

Given MMC's plan to boost the production volume of i-MiEVs to more than 15,000 units a year in its 2011 business year, the companies concluded that it was necessary to construct the new plant.

The construction site of the new plant will be chosen from among candidates in the Kansai region and in the vicinity of MMC's manufacturing plant for i-MiEVs in Okayama Prefecture.

Most of the lithium-ion batteries to be produced at the new plant will be supplied to MMC. The rest will be sold to other carmakers. Foreign carmakers have already inquired about securing supplies, the sources said.

Other carmarkers are also planning to manufacture electric vehicles.

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. will start marketing in July its Subaru Plug-in Stella electric vehicle, which is also equipped with a lithium-ion battery, while Nissan Motors Co. plans to sell electric vehicles both in Japan and the United States in its 2010 business year.

Chrysler, General Motors and German automaker Daimler A.G. are seeking to join the electric vehicle market in 2010-11.

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