Consumer electronics and home appliances major Videocon is set to launch a range of low cost Sansui tablets, currently under development by joint R&D Centres in Chinaand Japan, by the last quarter of 2013.
“We will first launch them in South India around Onam, and then Maharashtra to coincide with the Ganesh festival,” Anirudh Dhoot, Director, Videocon Industries, said, pointing out that India was a niche market. The tablets will be sold at two price points, broadly between Rs 10000 and Rs 12,000 for the 10.1” model and between Rs 5000 and 7000 for the 7” one, he added.
Videocon, which has a marketing and manufacturing arrangement with Japanese electronics major Sansui, launched the 46” Brush Metal TV in the city today.
While Sansui already has a range of tablets it sells worldwide, India will be first market where they will be introduced at this price point. The company also has plans to market them in West Asia, Arun Pal, Chief Marketing Officer, Sansui said. While the tablets will initially be imported, local assembly could be considered if volumes justify this, the company has said.
Elaborating on investment plans for Videocon, Dhoot said that the company will invest Rs 500 crore to add new lines at existing manufacturing facilities and in designing and developing new products. “We will finalise this over the next two to three months,” he said, and added that this will be spent in enhancing its three product segments – appliances, televisions and IT products – as well as in adding manpower at its R&D Centres overseas.