LG to focus on sub-Rs15K smartphones in India comeback

South Korean electronics major LG is sensing a “window of opportunity” provided by the anti-China mood in India currently, and plans to utilise it to make a comeback in the smartphone market by focussing on the popular under Rs15,000 price segment this year, scaling up local manufacturing by almost 15 times by Diwali and expanding distribution. In an exclusive interview with ET’s Himanshi Lohchab, Advait Vaidya, business head – mobile communications at LG Electronics, said the brand has seen 10 times increased sales of smartphones in the past two months due to the anti-China sentiment. It also plans to apply for the production-linked incentive scheme to scale up production. Edited excerpts:

Given the ongoing geo-political tensions between India and China, the consequent consumer anger against Chinese brands is serious these days. Do you feel this is an opportunity for LG to scale up in the smartphone