Momentum Continues to Build for Panasonic Oxyride Battery Line

November 29, 2005 - Panasonic's Oxyride Extreme Power battery - a new, first-of-its-kind technology designed for the digital era - quickly powered its way to national retail penetration in the first four months of sales in the United States. First introduced to U.S. consumers in July 2005, Oxyride batteries are currently available in over 14,000 national and regional retail outlets covering approximately 95 percent of the United States, in time for the important holiday sales season.

"We are not only encouraged by the initial retail and consumer acceptance for Oxyride, but see great promise for holiday sales of the new batteries," said Brian Kimberlin, Director for Marketing for the Panasonic Battery Group. "We feel consumers will welcome Oxyride as a powerful new energy source for digital still cameras and family picture-taking, and that retailers will find the batteries can spark new seasonal sales."

Oxyride batteries are currently available at national retailers including Walgreens, Target, Brooks, Eckerd and SuperValu, and at prominent regional chains to include Duane-Reade, Pathmark, Wegmans, Shop-Rite, ACME, Fred Meyer, and others.

According to Panasonic, a key factor driving holiday sales of Oxyride will be the new battery's performance in digital still cameras. In industry lab testing, AA-size Oxyride batteries lasted twice as long as Panasonic's Alkaline Plus batteries in digital cameras, resulting in more than double the amount of pictures.

Representing the most significant development in primary battery technology since the introduction of their alkaline batteries in 1965, the Oxyride Extreme Power battery combines newly developed materials and an advanced manufacturing process to deliver improved power performance in digital still cameras. The newly adopted cathode materials (Oxy Nickel Hydroxide and newly developed manganese dioxide and graphite) allow an increase in the quantity of the pouring amount inside the battery and a controlled mixing ratio, leading to higher voltage. Additionally, a new vacuum pouring technology enables the quantity of electrolyte in the battery to be increased.

Oxyride Extreme Power batteries are available in AA and AAA-sizes, and are sold in new consumer-friendly packaging that is used throughout the Panasonic battery line.

Additional information on Matsushita and Panasonic is available at www.panasonic.com.

SOURCE Panasonic