Foxconn exported iPhones worth $3.2 billion from India between March and May 2025, with 97% of these shipments going to the United States, according to customs data reviewed by Reuters (13/6).

This is a significant increase from the 2024 average of 50.3%, signaling Apple’s strategy to redirect India-made iPhones almost exclusively to the US market.

Previously, exports were more widely distributed to countries such as the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Britain.

Foxconn’s India iPhone shipments to the US totaled $4.4 billion in the first five months of 2025, surpassing the full-year figure of $3.7 billion in 2024.

May’s exports reached nearly $1 billion, the second-highest monthly value after March’s record $1.3 billion shipment.

Apple has accelerated production in India to avoid costly US tariffs imposed on goods made in China.

Former US President Donald Trump criticized Apple’s shift of production to India in May, saying, “We are not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves, they are doing very well, we want you to build here,” addressing Apple CEO Tim Cook.

China now faces tariffs as high as 55% under a new agreement between the two countries, while India remains subject to a baseline 10% tariff and is negotiating to avoid a 26% reciprocal levy announced by Trump but paused in April.

Apple has taken measures to speed up shipments from India, including lobbying Indian airport authorities to reduce customs clearance times at Chennai airport from 30 hours to six.

Chennai serves as a key export hub for iPhones manufactured in India. Industry analysts expect India-made iPhones to account for 25% to 30% of global iPhone shipments in 2025, compared to 18% in 2024.

Tata Electronics, another Apple iPhone supplier in India and part of India’s Tata Group, exported nearly 86% of its iPhones to the US during March and April 2025, up from 52% in 2024.

The company began exporting iPhones in July 2024. Apple has historically sold more than 60 million iPhones annually in the US, with roughly 80% of those devices previously manufactured in China.

PHOTO: AP PHOTO/MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

This article was created with AI assistance.