41.   The maker of electric vehicle battery systems said it has a contract with the government of Germany to develop an all-electric hybrid vehicle.

42.   The other major automakers are also selling or have plans to sell hybrid electric vehicles in the near future.

43.   While the market for such batteries in cars has been limited so far, their demand could go up as more automakers develop hybrid vehicles to improve gas mileage.

44.   Honda currently buys batteries for two models of hybrid vehicle from a unit of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., a company spokeswoman said.

45.   No specific timing had been decided for the introduction of Honda hybrid vehicles with Sanyo batteries, the company representatives said.

46.   Sanyo, a major electronics maker, has an agreement to supply batteries to Ford Motor Co. Ltd., which is preparing to introduce a new hybrid vehicle.