Tata to make iPhones in India for global market

NEW DELHI: Tata Group will start making Apple iPhones in India for domestic and global markets within two and a half years, announced Electronics and Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday.The development underscores India’s growing production prowess and reflects a significant departure from Apple’s previous strategy of selling mostly Chinese-made new devices to frenzied customers across the world. With this, the group will become India’s first homegrown iPhone maker.

“@GoI_MeitY stands fully in support in growth of Global Indian Electronics companies that will in turn support global Electronic brands that want to make India their trusted manufacturing and talent partner and to realize PM’s goal of making India a global electronics power,” Chandrasekhar posted on X. The group has acquired the operations of Apple supplier Wistron Corp which announced the development in a board meeting today for about $125 million, according to a company statement.

The Union Minister also thanked Wistron for “building a global supply chain from India with Indian companies at its helm”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial incentives to boost local manufacturing and Apple’s strategy to look beyond China amid a Washington-Beijing trade war have helped India become increasingly important to the iPhone maker’s diversification drive. “Modi Ji’s visionary PLI scheme has already propelled India into becoming a trusted and major hub for smartphone manufacturing and exports,” Chandrasekhar said.