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World Business Quick Take

■ Automobiles
Lexus models recalled
Toyota Motor Corp will recall about 57,000 vehicles worldwide from its upscale Lexus brand, due to faulty parts in the device that winds seat belts. The recall affects the Lexus GS and IS models sold in North America, Japan, Europe and other markets, the world's No. 2 automaker said in release issued on Wednesday. Passengers may not be able to buckle up due to the faulty parts. The vehicles were produced between July and December last year. Of the 57,000 vehicles, about 29,000 vehicles will be recalled in North America, 11,000 in Japan, 10,000 in Europe, and the remainder in other markets.

■ Internet
PayPal's records sought
The US government has ordered online auctioneer eBay's payment service PayPal to turn over records that could expose foreign accounts where tax cheats have hidden money, PayPal said on Wednesday. The US Internal Revenue Service wants the San Jose, California-based "online wallet" to reveal the details of accounts linked to banks or credit cards in 35 countries, said Amanda Pires of PayPal. A summons issued by US District Court Judge James Ware in San Jose ordered PayPal to hand over records dating back to 1999, when the Internet money-transfer service was launched, Pires said. "We are evaluating our options," Pires said. "We haven't decided what to do yet. We take the privacy of our customers' information very seriously."

■ Electronics
Solar panel demand strong
Sharp Corp, the world's biggest solar cell maker, said sales of the panels surpassed the ¥150 billion (US$1.27 billion) it had forecast for the year ended March 31. Demand for the products in Japan and Europe was strong during the year, said Takashi Tomita, head of the company's solar system division, speaking Thursday after a news conference in Tokyo. Sharp yesterday introduced a solar panel that uses about 1/100th as much silicon, the main raw material, as previous models to cut costs as a silicon shortage is driving up prices, Tomita said. Prices of silicon used in solar cells have risen to about US$4 to US$6 per kilogram, compared with US$2 about three years ago. "With a shortage of silicon, this new technology gives us an advantage," Tomita said.

■ Mobile phones
Sony Ericsson profit soars
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd, the world's fifth-largest maker of cellular phones, said first-quarter profit more than tripled, helped by demand for handsets featuring Walkman music players and cameras. Net income climbed to 109 million euros (US$132 million) from 32 million euros a year earlier, London-based Sony Ericsson said in a statement yesterday. Sales rose 55 percent to 1.99 billion euros from 1.29 billion euros. "The W800, W550 and W600 Walkman phones were big sellers during the quarter and we have now sold 5.5 million Walkman branded phones since mid-August," chief executive officer Miles Flint said in the statement. Sony Ericsson's pretax profit rose to 151 million euros from 70 million euros a year earlier. The company shipped 13.3 million phones in the quarter, 41 percent more than a year earlier. The average selling price rose 9.3 percent to 149.8 euros from a year earlier, and 4.8 percent from the previous three months.

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