Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, has reportedly opened discussions with its contract manufacturers in India—Dixon Technologies and Foxconn. According to a report by The Economic Times, Google is looking to shift a portion of global Pixel smartphone production from Vietnam to India. The move comes amid growing tariff risks tied to Vietnam, Google’s current key production hub for the Pixel lineup, as per the report.
Google, according to the report, is looking at not just ramping up assembly in India for export to the US, but also gradually localising key components like enclosures, fingerprint sensors, chargers, and batteries—most of which are currently imported.
Like many other tech companies, Google is looking at this potential shift, primarily due to the tariff threats from the US, which has proposed a 46% levy on imports from Vietnam, compared to 26% from India.
Recently, Nothing CEO Carl Pei also hinted at increasing its exports from India as the threat of Trump tariffs loom large.
While a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs took effect on April 9, the 10% baseline duty remains. China, which still handles a portion of Pixel manufacturing, faces a steep 145% tariff and is excluded from the temporary relief.
The report mentions that currently, Google produces around 43,000–45,000 Pixel units per month in India, entirely for the domestic market. Dixon handles the bulk of production, including newer models, at its Noida facility with Taiwan’s Compal Electronics. Foxconn, on the other hand, focuses on older Pixel models from its Tamil Nadu plant and was the first to start assembly in India last August.
While earlier plans projected a 2–3 year ramp-up in India, the changing trade dynamics have forced the company to fast-track production shifts, especially for US-bound devices, as per the report.
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