As per sources, Tata Group is in advanced talks to buy the Karnataka manufacturing unit of Taiwan-based Wistron, a contract manufacturer for Apple, in order to become the first Indian iPhone manufacturer. According to the company, the acquisition will be carried out through Tata Electronics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, the promoter holding firm of the salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group.

Tata Group declined to comment when reached for comment. An e-mail sent to Apple received no response. Wistron was unavailable for comment.

According to one of the sources, a public announcement on the development would be dependent on Apple's decision, as the company has tight control over its ecosystem.

It is likely that apart from iPhone, once Tata Group takes over the Karnataka plant, other new Apple products could also be assembled from the unit.

The latest move by the Tata Group to acquire Apple supplier's unit, is also expected to give fillip to Apple's efforts to tap into production prowess outside of China and drive momentum in the world's second-biggest smartphone market.