Gionee is planning to invest Rs 500 crore to set up a handset making unit in North India. The Chinese company aims to set up the plant to serve the demand for its products in the country and in markets like Africa and South East Asia.
Phones from Gionee are currently assembled through third-party players like Foxconn and Dixon. Around 60% of the total devices sold in India by the brand are finished by these two companies in Tamil Nadu and Noida, respectively.
The new end-to-end manufacturing unit will operate at an annual capacity of 30 million products, as revealed by Gionee India MD and CEO Arvind Vohra to PTI. The plant is targeted to be fully operational in two years. Its location remains undecided as of now.
Gionee claims to have sold about half a million phones per month in India. The festive season is expected to see the launch of new devices in the range of Rs 9999 and Rs 24999. The company is setting up the manufacturing unit to keep up with its India-based expansion plans to achieve 7 to 10 percent market share.
Also Read: Gionee F103 Pro with Marshmallow, 13MP camera out for Rs 11999
The F103 was the first smartphone from the Gionee stable to be made completely in India. After the launch, an official announcement was released which stated that all 4G phones of its make would be sourced in the country itself. The intention was to increase sales in the consecutive years on the basis of lower costs.
Gionee recently launched its photography-centric S6s on August 22. The smartphone offers an 8MP front camera unit with front-facing flash useful for low-light selfies. It is priced at Rs 17999.