Apple has asked manufacturing partner Foxconn to look into the possibility of making iPhones in India within the next two or three years, The Economic Times of India reports. Sources with knowledge of the matter said Apple began the inquiry after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue during a meeting earlier this year.
The new report seems to corroborate earlier reports that Foxconn’s $10 billion facility in the Indian state of Maharashtra will focus on iPhone production. That plant should be up and running within 18 months, and Apple recently opened a development office for its Maps app in Hyderabad as well, doubling down on its commitment to India as it moves to open retail stores in the country.
Apple is likely to gain a three-year exemption to open its stores without meeting requirements that it obtain 30 percent of its product materials locally, but will need to come into compliance with those regulations after that period expires.
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