Foxconn may soon start manufacturing iPhones in India

Earlier, several reports had hinted that the contract manufacturer was interested in manufacturing iPads and iPods in the country for domestic as well as foreign markets

(Reuters)

Soon, you might own an Apple iPhone which is manufactured in India.

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn is believed to be looking for 1,200 acres of land for a new $10 billion facility to manufacture iPhones in Maharashtra.

According to an ET Now report which quoted sources, Foxconn has been in talks with the Central government and several state governments for the required space and has finally zeroed down in Maharashtra. Reportedly, the company has shortlisted Talegaon-Chakan and Khalapur as likely locations.

Earlier, several reports had hinted that the contract manufacturer was interested in manufacturing iPads and iPods in the country for domestic as well as foreign markets. Maharashtra industry minister Subhash Desai too had shared details on Foxconn's interest in the region.

During August 2015, the company had said that it was going to invest in India across verticals like manufacturing, start-ups, energy and e-commerce portals and was also looking at bringing supply chain companies and major technologies.

A customer holds an iPhone 6 (right) and iPhone 6 Plus after the phones went on sale (Reuters)

A customer holds an iPhone 6 (right) and iPhone 6 Plus after the phones went on sale (Reuters)

"If we are going to manufacture in India, then the investment figure will be much higher than quoted in the media reports," Foxconn chief executive Terry Gou, accompanied by group president Calvin Chih, had said.

"Keeping in line with all the digital initiatives started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foxconn is in India for the long run. We want to integrate our hardware strength with India's software strength to help India achieve more exports and create a better ecosystem for doing business," Gou had said.

The chairman then had also confirmed reports that Foxconn had signed a deal with Adani but said that it was not only in the handset business. "We will work with Adani on various sectors like smart power transmission to make it more efficient," he had said, adding Foxconn was looking for partners like Adani to expand their ecosystem in India.

Foxconn produces devices for Apple, Amazon (Kindle), Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard (HP) as well as mobile handsets, tablets, TVs, routers, set-top boxes and printers. Currently, it has manufacturing lines in Sri City where it makes phones for Chinese handset-maker Xiaomi.