March 7, 2005 – Sony Corp. said Friday it expects to cut production costs for liquid crystal display televisions by 20% to 30% in the latter half of next fiscal year through design reforms, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. That, along with other steps, would allow Sony to weather likely steady declines in LCD TV prices, the Japanese consumer electronics maker said.

Sony said it expects the price of LCD TVs to drop at least 25% next fiscal year starting April 1. Key aspects of the reforms are standardization of the TV chassis and a reduction in the number of parts, a Sony investor relations official said. “New models to be launched worldwide this autumn will reflect” these design changes, he said.

As a result, costs will fall 20 to 30% in the second half of next fiscal year, compared with the levels in the latest quarter ended Dec. 31, he said.