BenQ Solar with its New Brand Name Advances in Global Solar Market

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Feb. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- AU Optronics Corp ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), a leading global display and solar solutions provider, announced today that its solar business will use "BenQ Solar" as its new brand name from now on, as authorized by BenQ Corporation. AU Optronics will market its high efficiency solar solutions to actively enhance its presence in the global solar market. By adopting the "Global Operation, Local Delivery" business strategy, customers will be offered prompt, economic and high-efficiency total solutions.

"The focus of PV market has gradually shifted from developing large utility projects towards commercial and residential markets. In Europe, the US, and Japan, solar products have become consumer products," said K.Y. Lee, Chairman of BenQ Group. "With the support of BenQ's well-established brand equity and global sales and service platform, BenQ Solar will rapidly expand its business and earn customer trust. BenQ Solar's world-class high-efficiency solar products and global operation will provide customers with local-made products and in-time services, making it the most trust-worthy solar brand."    

BenQ Solar is devoted to providing high-efficiency solar solutions and seeks to generate maximized total power output in the smallest area possible on solar modules. To reach the goal, BenQ Solar has established a high-efficiency solar value chain for high-efficiency solar modules, including high-efficiency polysilicon, ingot and wafer by M.Setek in Japan, and the world's highest efficiency cell with more than 22.5% efficiency rate by AUO SunPower, making BenQ Solar's module the world's top-notch solar product with higher than 20% efficiency to meet residential, commercial, and utility customers' demands for high-efficiency solar modules.

To fulfill residential customer needs in functionality and convenience, BenQ Solar has launched the world's first alternating current generating AC Unison™ solar solution, which includes a micro-inverter integrated with the solar module, and equipped with a monitoring system. AC Unison™ solar solution is easy to install, maintain and monitor. Its low-voltage design is highly safe for residential customers' daily use.

BenQ Solar adopts "Global Operation, Local Delivery" business strategy and is capable of providing customers worldwide with solar modules from Taiwan, China, Europe and the US. BenQ Solar has established its distribution channels in North America, Europe, and Asia and will continue to expand its global channel network to offer customers local services and support.

BenQ Solar's high-efficiency and high quality solar products are well trusted by its customers. By collaborating with its partners, BenQ Solar has successfully completed various large solar power plants in places across Taiwan, Germany, the UK, Italy, the US, and South Africa. BenQ Solar will continue to leverage BenQ's established brand image and publicity to offer high-efficiency and reliable solar products that are easy to install, as well as strengthen its market presence in the global solar market to generate more green energy for the Earth.

About BenQ Solar

BenQ Solar is a division of AU Optronics Corp. AU Optronics manufactures and markets its PV products globally by using BenQ Solar as its solar product brand. BenQ Solar Business combined M.Setek, AUO crystal, and AUO SunPower to form a high-efficiency vertical solar value chain from polysilicon, ingot, wafer, solar cell, PV module and project business. BenQ Solar has successfully accomplished many large solar power plants projects in Europe, Asia and Africa. The company is capable of providing solar modules from Taiwan, China, Europe and the US and adopts "global operation, local delivery" model to provide worldwide customers with total solar solutions. Please visit BenQSolar.com.

About AU Optronics

AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is one of the world's leading providers of display and solar total solutions. AUO offers a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications ranging from 1.2 inches to 71 inches. Based on its profound R&D and manufacturing experience, AUO continues to develop advanced display technologies of the next generation. AUO extended its market to the green energy industry in 2008. By building a vertically integrated high-efficiency solar value chain, AUO provides its customers with high-efficiency solar solutions. AUO now houses a staff of more than 43,000 employees, with global operations in Taiwan, Mainland China, the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, Czech and Slovakia. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to be successfully listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO has also been named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for two consecutive years from 2010 to 2011. AUO generated NT$379.7 billion (US$ 12.54 billion) in sales revenue in 2011. For more information, please visit AUO.com.

* 2011 year end revenue converted at an exchange rate of NTD30.27:USD1.

About BenQ Group

The BenQ Group is currently comprised of companies that operate independently while sharing resources and leveraging synergies among them. The BenQ Group companies include BenQ Corporation, AU Optronics Corporation (the world's leading TFT-LCD panel manufacturer), Qisda Corporation, Darfon Electronics Corporation, BenQ Materials Corp., BenQ Guru Corp., BenQ Hospital, BenQ Medical Technology, BriView Corp., Daxin Materials Corp., Darwin Precisions, Ltd, Dazzo Technology Corp., Forhouse Corp., SiPix Imaging, Lextar Electronics Corp., Raydium Semiconductor Corp. and Wellypower Corp.

Safe Harbour Notice

AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), a global leader of TFT-LCD panels, today announced the above news. Except for statements in respect of historical matters, the statements contained in this Release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements were based on our management's expectations, projections and beliefs at the time regarding matters including, among other things, future revenues and costs, financial performance, technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields, process and geographical diversification, future expansion plans and business strategy. Such forward looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including risks related to the flat panel display industry, the TFT-LCD market, acceptance of and demand for our products, technological and development risks, competitive factors, and other risks described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3rd, 2011.

SOURCE AU Optronics Corporation