We plan to take India sales to China levels in 5 years: Tom Lu

Q&A with India CEO, Oppo

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is planning to take its market share in India to comparable levels at home in the next five years. Oppo enjoys about 8% market share in China and is ranked third in the price range of $300-$600. Oppo Mobiles India chief executive officer Tom Lu talks to K Rajani Kanth about the company’s plans for India and growth trajectory. Edited excerpts: 

How does the Indian market compare to China for Oppo?

This is the right time to expand in India considering the ongoing smartphone boom. We plan to increase sales volumes in India to comparable level with the Chinese market in the next five years. 

Globally, we sold 30 million units in 2014 and plan to sell 45 million units this year. While China and Southeast Asia markets, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, are the biggest markets for Oppo, we have increased our focus in South Asia and Africa too. 

This will be a year of expansion for us and are targeting to sell 1.5 million units in India, as against 400,000 units last year. We also plan to open our second overseas assembly plant in India within this year.

Can you elaborate about your plans to set up a local plant?

We currently have about 100 production lines for the China market, 80 lines for the global markets and an additional eight production lines in Indonesia for the Indonesian market. India is a strategic market for us, primarily because there is clearly a huge potential to grow here. We are keen on long-term development in India. The ‘Make in India’ initiative will boost demand and encourage development. Oppo is focusing on setting up a local plant for the Indian audiences. The plant will start operations before October this year, and will target the Indian market. 

Oppo is a relatively new entrant in the already-crowded smartphone market in India. How is it planning to differentiate itself and stand apart from its Chinese counterparts? 

In a competitive market, manufacturers look at providing users cutting-edge features. At Oppo, we have developed a technology called VOOC Flash Charge, which can safely charge a battery to 75% of its capacity in just 30 minutes, and five minutes to have enough battery for a two-hour call.

How many models has Oppo launched in India so far? Any new products in the pipeline? 

We have already introduced 15 smartphones in the price range of Rs 6,500 to Rs 42,999, and are launching eight to 10 new models each year globally. Our R&D team is diligently working to come up with new products for the Indian market and we will be investing more on localised R&D in India.