South Korean Lead Battery Sales Share Downs in Japan

Sales share of South Korean automotive lead battery seems to be decreasing in Japanese market. The sales share in September is estimated at 8%, almost halving from the recent peak, calculated from the governmental statistics. Automotive lead battery import from South Korea has slowed down despite of weak won trend against yen.

Domestic shipment of automotive lead battery totaled 2.214 million units, containing lead at 17,200 tonnes, in September, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry. The shipment increased by 18.4% from a year earlier and hit the highest volume since November 2009 thanks to the demand increase in hot summer and speculative orders before the end of Japanese government’s stimulus program for eco friendly car sales.

Meanwhile, Japanese import of South Korean lead battery to start piston engines totaled 195,921 units (2,889 tonnes in weight) in September, according to Ministry of Finance. The import decreased by 7% from a year earlier and by 45% from the recent peak in February 2010.

These statistics figures suggest South Korean automotive lead battery’s sales share in Japanese market downed to 8.1% in September from 15.7% in February. The share represents the lowest since June 2008 and even lower than the yearly average at 12.5% in 2009. Almost all of imported South Korean battery is used for repairing.

The unit price stays flat at around 3,700 yen per battery since the beginning of this year. The price of South Korea’s lead battery changes along the fluctuation of electrolytic lead market price. Higher battery price seems to have canceled the merit of cheap won trend against yen. In Japan, repairing battery price is basically fixed. As a result, price gap didn’t widen between Japanese battery and South Korean battery.