Taipei, May 28, 2007(CENS)--Tatung Group, a leading maker of household electronics in Taiwan, has projected its LCD TV shipment to reach 96,000 units this year, including 40,000 37-inch and 42-inch models, in a bid to become the No. 1 LCD TV brand in Taiwan, according to Shiao Chi-an, general manager of Tatung Consumer Product Co., a affiliate of Tatung Group.

To boost sales volume of 37-inch and above LCD TVs, Tatung has recently launched a new 42-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) TV, which adopts display panels made by AU Optronics Corp and is priced at only NT$39,900.

Despite tight supply of display panels for LCD TVs pushing quotations higher, Tatung still resolved to launch the new 42-inch LCD TV to expand its market share of this kind. Thus, Tatung has contracted a leading domestic distributor TKEC to promote the new models, hoping to explore the Taiwanese market for 40-inch and above LCD TVs, according to Shiao.

This year, sales volume of LCD TVs in Taiwan is estimated at 700,000 to 800,000 units, accounting for over 70% of total TV sales on the island. The drop in prices of LCD TVs has made 37-inch and above models become increasingly popular, making such modes the mainstream product line among household electronics.

Noteworthy is that such large-sized international brands as Sony, SHARP, Toshiba, and LG Philips, and domestic brands as Kolin, TECO, SAMPO, HERAN, BenQ, Acer, and ASUSTeK, have fiercely competed in the market for 37-inch and above models, which bear higher prices and gross profits.

Shiao said that aided by this year`s shipment projection of 96,000 LCD TVs, Tatung Consumer Product optimistically projects its sales revenue to shoot up to NT$10 billion from NT$7.5 billion recorded a year earlier, and plans to become listed on Taiwan`s stock exchange market next year. This makes LCD TVs become the company`s major product line, which has contributed 18% of total sales for the first four months of this year.

(by Steve Chuang)