Tata of India Takes on Housing

Tata Housing Plan, Mumbai, India

Remember those people who brought us the $2,000 car? Well, now they have taken on housing. Here's what Tata's doing for less than imagined. Granted, they are building in India. Labor is cheap. But, importantly, they are DOING it. Business Week suggests that the price range from $7,800 to $13,400 encompasses the smart idea of selling to the "bottom of the pyramid" where the bulk of the population is.

Other's argue that even these prices are too high. For example, a well paid call center employee makes about $6,000 a year. One could speculate that Tata has anticipated the growth that the newly elected Singh party promises. Indians are unuse to carrying debt, but one can imagine that this, too, is in their future. We think the hopeful detail is that their project promises 70% open space.