TOKYO, Oct. 21, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- Sanyo Electric Co. (OOTC:SANYY) said Wednesday it will continue to supply lithium-ion batteries for gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles to any car maker, seeing this as profitable amid the increasingly popular market for the eco-friendly vehicles.

The move comes despite Sanyo's fate of becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of its larger rival Panasonic Corp. (NYSE:PC) , which produces such batteries for Japan's top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM)

Sanyo's executive vice president, Mitsuru Homma, told reporters, ''By expanding our business with various car makers, we will be able to supplement Panasonic.''

Homma, who was speaking in Tokyo about the company's strategy for hybrid car battery business, said this strategy of not limiting lithium-ion battery sales to a specific manufacturer was aimed at extending sales and reducing costs.

The Osaka-based consumer electronics maker currently has a lithium-ion battery plant in Tokushima Prefecture and is scheduled to complete building a factory in Hyogo Prefecture next year for mass production. By 2015, it plans to sharply raise its lithium-ion battery production capacity.