Asus announces smartphone manufacturing in India starting with the Zenfone 2 Laser

Asus today announced that it will start manufacturing smartphones in India under the Prime Ministers "Make In India" campaign in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. It will help Asus bolster its presence in India. The FoxConn facility will have a capacity of manufacturing 150,000 units a month by the end of the year which will account for 80% of sales in India.

The company will start with the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser and later also manufacture the Zenfone Go in India, these will be made for local consumption only, at present there is no word on whether Asus wants to make India an export-hub for its smartphones.

Speaking on Asus' presence in India Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager – System Business Group - ASUS India:

India offers us a huge opportunity as smartphone penetration is just 10%. We are excited to announce our local manufacturing facility that will cater to the growing demands of the market.

He added further that the company seeks to have 5% marker share in India by next year. Just last month Asus launched its complete fleet of devices for India including the Zenfone Selfie, Zenfone 2 Laser and Zenfone 2 Deluxe in India followed by the Zenfone Go. We have reviewed the Zenfone 2 Laser and found it to be one of the best smartphones in sub Rs. 10,000 price bracket, you can have a look at our video review below.

We also took a look at the Zenfone GO at the Zenfestival, you can watch its video below.

Asus has had considerable success in India with its Zenfone line-up given their excellent build quality as good performance at a relatively lower price point. Local manufacturing will help the company meet the demand easier and also allow for better market penetration. Moreover, the company plans to go for offline sales of its smartphones alongwith partnering up with other online retailers apart from Flipkart which will further help with reaching more people.