Xiaomi launches first India-manufactured Smartphone in Andhra Pradesh

Chinese Smartphone maker Xiaomi has launched its first India-manufactured Smartphone in Andhra Pradesh. Under the 'Make in India, Made in Andhra Pradesh' program, state Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Hugo Barra, Vice President, Xiaomi Global launched the first Redmi 2 Prime, an enhanced version of Redmi 2, at a price of Rs 6,999 in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

“It is a proud moment for AP to have Xiaomi making Smartphones in our state. Upbeat about Xiaom's success”, Chandrababu Naidu tweeted after the launch.

"Manufacturing Smartphones locally is a significant step towards incorporating Xiaomi into the fabric of India in the years to come. After taking into consideration several factors, manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh was an obvious choice for us. This has been possible due to the support of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his forward thinking policies”, Hugo Barra, VP, Xiaomi Global quoted as saying.

At the event, Barra also hinted about its expansion plan in India. According to reports, Xiaomi might choose Vizag to spread its India operations. However, he declined to share details about the investment, capacity or number of employees at the facility.

Xiaomi, a Chinese low-cost Smartphone manufacturer, is the third largest Smartphone-maker in the world. The company has partnered with Taiwan based Foxconn Technology Group to manufacture its Smartphones in India. The factory is based in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh that will produce around 10,000 phones a day for Xiaomi.

Given that global Smartphone sales are estimated to grow from 1.5 billion in 2015 to 1.7 billion by 2017 and India will become the second largest Smartphone market by 2017 after China, Xiaomi is looking to expand its presence and increase its market share in the country.