AUO Starts EU Project to Provide First Made-in-Europe Solar Integrated Service Alliance

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today announced that the company is actively advocating its "EU project", the first "made-in-Europe" solar integrated service alliance in the PV industry. Taking AUO's solar module factory in Czech Republic as a platform of manufacturing center, AUO is able to provide made-in-Europe high-efficiency and high quality solar modules. AUO is enthusiastically conferring with strategic partners currently and expecting to kick off the project by end of this year.  

"The European solar market has been filled with an atmosphere of anti-dumping" said Dr. L.J. Chen, President of Solar Business Operation of AU Optronics. "Our solar module plant in Czech Republic has the advantage of local manufacturing and is able to fulfill European clients' needs nearby, helping to strengthen customers' competitiveness. EU project is to provide an open platform with resource sharing concepts and it will become the best solar solution under anti-dumping policy. We sincerely welcome worldwide partners to join this strategic alliance with us."   

AUO has built its solar module factory in Brno, Czech Republic since 2010. This factory is not only located in the center of Europe but also the first Taiwanese automated solar module plant. By highly integrated and automatic product line design, the product precision has been increased significantly. The excellent high-quality solar modules have been recognized by the European clients. The solar module capacity in AUO's Czech Factory is 150MW in 2012.  The modules have been obtained UL, IEC, GSE, and MCS certifications.  The Company continues to cooperate with partners and has successfully built solar power plants in Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.

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 45,000 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.

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 April 27th, 2012.