Panasonic: can move up investment for Tesla battery plant if asked

Panasonic Corp is prepared to move up its investment plans for Tesla Motors Inc's battery plant if needed to meet strong demand for the electric car maker's upcoming Model 3 sedan, an executive at the Japanese electronics group said. "We will do our best to move up the schedule if requested," Yoshio Ito, head of Panasonic's automotive and industrial systems (AIS) division, told reporters at a briefing on Friday. Panasonic plans to invest $1.6 billion of Tesla's $5-billion "Gigafactory" in phases