Corporate Information

Our History

1918: Founder Konosuke Matsushita established Matsushita Electric Equipment Manufacturing Works (the beginning of Panasonic).
1939: Developed and supplied car radios (super receivers for a member of the imperial family), marking the start of the automotive business.
1954: Delivered car radios to Isuzu Motors, the first supply to an automobile manufacturer.
1966: Released combination switches.
1967: Saedo Plant began operations.
1968: Released in-car speakers.
1971: Began production of car radios in Thailand, marking the company’s first manufacturing operations outside of Japan, in the broader Asian region.
1974: Matsumoto（photo, taken in 1979）, Tsuruga, and Shirakawa Plants began operations.
1980: Delivered the world’s first in-vehicle voice synthesis system.
1981: Released seat heaters.
1984: Released a rear parking sensor.
1985: Established the company’s first European production base in Germany.
1987: Began producing car audio systems at Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
1992: Supplied a car navigation system to an automaker for the first time.
1995: Established the company’s first production base at Dalian, China.

Released a steering angle sensor.

Achieved a cumulative production of 100 million car audio systems.
1996: Released the world’s first in-vehicle device compatible with three media for VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System).

Supplied Japan’s first in-vehicle camera for passenger cars to an automaker.
1997: Released the world’s first DVD car navigation system.
2010: Released the world’s first vehicle proximity notification system.
2012: Supplied the in-vehicle charging system for Nissan’s electric vehicle, the “Leaf.”
2014: Released electronic mirrors.
2015: Launched the “DRIVEBOSS” service, an automated scheduling system for transportation planning.
2017: Released a rear detection camera with the world’s first human detection capability.
2019: A compact head-up display was adopted in Nissan’s new Skyline model.
2020: Established “Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc.,” a joint venture with Toyota for in-vehicle prismatic battery production.

Reached a cumulative production of 100 million in-vehicle cameras.
2022: Reorganized as Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd., following the transition to a holding company structure within the Panasonic Group.

A full-display meter was adopted in Mazda’s “CX-60.
2023: Achieved net-zero CO₂ emissions across all global sites.
2024: Announced the corporate vision to become the “Joy in Motion” design company.

Began operations at the Matsusaka Plant.

Transition to a new management structure based on our strategic partnership with Apollo.

About Panasonic Automotive Systems