AU Optronics Corp. Reports December 2009 Consolidated Revenue

HSINCHU, Taiwan , Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today announced its preliminary consolidated December 2009 revenue of NT$37,104 million , down by 3.4% from the previous month but up 151.8% from the same period last year. For the year ended December 31, 2009 , unaudited consolidated revenue totaled NT$359,599 million , resulting in a 15.2% Y-o-Y decrease.

The large-sized panel (a) shipments for December 2009 , with applications in desktop monitors, notebook PCs, and LCD TVs, were close to 9.1 million units, a decrease of 2.4 % from November 2009 . As to small and medium-sized panels, the shipments were about 15.8 million units, down by 13.7% from last month since some applications are in seasonal slowdown.

Preliminary shipments of large-sized panels for the fourth quarter of 2009 exceeded 27.37 million units, up 2.5% from last quarter, a significant Y-o-Y increase of 81.5%. Shipments for small- and medium-sized panels reached around 60.08 million units, down by 7.3% from the third quarter, but representing a Y-o-Y increase of 26.8 %.

In terms of the 2009 full-year unit shipments, large-sized panels reached 89.64 million units, up 12.5% from 2008. Meanwhile, small and medium-sized panels exceeded 228.64 million units, representing an increase of 21.6% from last year.

(a) Large-size refers to panels that are 10 inches and above in diagonal measurement while small and medium size refers to those below 10 inches

    Sales Report: (Unit: NT$ million)


    Net Sales(1) (2)                     Consolidated(3)      Unconsolidated
    December 2009                             37,104             35,204
    November 2009                             38,422             36,785
    M-o-M Growth                               (3.4%)             (4.3%)
    December 2008                             14,735             14,684
    Y-o-Y Growth                              151.8%             139.7%
    Jan to Dec. 2009                         359,599            350,179
    Jan to Dec. 2008                         423,928            421,957
    Y-o-Y Growth                              (15.2%)            (17.0%)

    (1) All figures are prepared in accordance with generally accepted
        accounting principles in Taiwan.
    (2) Monthly figures are unaudited, prepared by AU Optronics Corp.
    (3) Consolidated numbers include AU Optronics Corp., AU Optronics (L)
        Corp., AU Optronics (Suzhou) Corp., AU Optronics (Shanghai) Corp., AU
        Optronics Manufacturing (Shanghai) Corp., AU Optronics (Xiamen) Corp.,
        Darwin Precisions (L) Corp., Darwin Precisions (Suzhou) Corp., Darwin
        Precisions (Xiamen) Corp., Darwin Precision Corp., BriView
        Electronics(L) Corp., BriView Electronics Corp., BVCH Optronics
        (Sichuan) Corp., BriView Technology Corp., AU Optronics (Czech) s.r.o.,
        M. Setek Co., Ltd. and its affiliates, Toppan CFI (Taiwan) Co, Ltd.,
        Lextar Electronics Corp., and AUO Energy Taiwan Corp.

About AU Optronics

AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is a worldwide top three manufacturer* of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD). AUO is able to provide customers with a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications, offering TFT-LCD panels in sizes ranging from 1.2 inches to greater than 65 inches. AUO generated NT$359.6 billion ( US$10.9 billion ) in sales revenue in 2009 and now houses a staff of more than 42,000 employees throughout its global operations in Taiwan , Mainland China, Japan , Singapore , South Korea , the U.S., and Europe . Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to successfully list at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO extended its market to green energy industry in the end of 2008, and formally founded The Solar Photovoltaic Business Unit in October, 2009. For more information, please visit AUO.com.

* DisplaySearch 3Q2009 WW Large-Area TFT-LCD Shipment Report. This data is used as reference only and AUO does not make any endorsement or representation in connection therewith. 2008 year end revenue converted by an exchange rate of NTD32.76: USD1 .

SOURCE AU Optronics Corp.