NEW DELHI: Sony starts local manufacturing in India after almost a decade of imports and will source televisions from a company in Chennai that is owned by Taiwanese contract manufacturing major Foxconn.

The company had long been planning to manufacture locally and decided to do it now after the government made it attractive to 'make in India' through a lower duty regime.

" Sony India has commenced manufacturing of Bravia televisions on original equipment manufacturing partnership with Competition Team Technology (India) Pvt Ltd in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. In the initial phase, we will start manufacturing two models, both Android TVs," Kenichiro Hibi, MD of Sony in India, told TOI.

TOI had reported about Sony's local manufacturing plans along with Foxconn in its July 3 edition.

"India is an important, and a strategic market for Sony and this development underlines our continued commitment to this market as well as our alignment with the government's 'Make in India' programme," Hibi said.

However, the company — which clocked revenues of Rs 10,600 crore last year — is yet to take a decision on the local manufacturing of mobile phones.

The company had stopped local manufacturing in 2004 as a relatively-smaller business size in India at that time did not justify a production facility and the company found it more efficient to source from its factories overseas, especially in view of India's free-trade agreements with some of the countries.