Reports continue to circulate that Sanyo's mobile unit is on the chopping block, now Nikkei reports that Kyocera is in the final stages of a deal to acquire the unit for $435 million. Sanyo's handset business has struggled to compete with Nokia, Motorola and other handset makers, which is one of the reasons it hired Goldman Sachs to restructure its business and shed struggling business units. According to Gartner, Kyocera was the 10th largest handset maker in the world by unit sales, while Sanyo was the 11th.
Sanyo, however, denies the reports regarding a deal with Kyocera: "Regarding the mobile phone handset business (excluding the mobile phone sales agents), Sanyo is considering all possibilities for development and growth," the company said in a statement. "These media reports were not based upon an official announcement by SANYO and it is not a fact that SANYO has made a decision to sell this business."
For more on Sanyo's rumored deal with Kyocera:
- read this press release from Sanyo
- check out this article from The Inquirer