GADFLY
Plenty of Juice in This China Deal
Nissan's battery business can grow faster in GSR's hands.
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GSR Capital must be hoping it's fourth-time lucky. Having failed in its pursuit of three lighting companies since the start of last year, the Chinese private-equity firm looks to have made a smart move by agreeing to acquire Nissan Motor Co.'s battery business -- provided it gets the nod from U.S. regulators.
The investment company is paying about $1 billion for Automotive Energy Supply Corp., Bloomberg News's Jonathan Browning and Ma Jie reported on Tuesday, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The unit makes the lithium-ion cells that power Nissan's Leaf electric car and has a plant in Tennessee.