Apple has expanded production of four new iPhone 17 models to 5 factories in India for shipments from the US, ostensibly to reduce dependence on production lines in China, Bloomberg reported, citing its sources.
This is the first time that the entire line of new smartphones, including the Pro models, is being manufactured in India for the US market. It is noted that the company has expanded the number of local factories producing iPhones and moved most of its production for the US market from China to India to reduce the impact of economic tariffs.
The expansion affected the Tata Group plant in Hosur (Tamil Nadu) and the Foxconn Technology Group production center in Bangalore (the administrative center of Karnataka).
In the spring, Apple began to transfer some of its production capacity from China to other countries due to threats by US President Donald Trump to impose high import duties on products from China. Then the company increased the production of devices at factories in India and a number of Southeast Asian countries. As Business Standard reported earlier, citing Indian government data, from April to June, iPhone exports from India grew by 82% compared to the same period last year. According to the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association, Apple products accounted for 70% of all smartphones shipped abroad from the country.
On August 6, the United States imposed additional duties of 25% on India in connection with the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products. According to Trump's decree, Washington may take similar measures against other countries. Thus, duties on imports of Indian goods into the United States have been increased to 50%. The Indian Foreign Ministry called these actions unfair, unjustified and unreasonable, assuring that it would take all necessary measures to protect its interests.