Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2011. It reports news from that month, when the house was due to go on sale in 2012; it does not say whether Tata actually launched it or at what price.
Just as we once wrote about what is considered the most expensive house in the world, in Mumbai, today Tata brings us houses that will sell for 350 euros. The Tata group is already known for providing very cheap products for the Indian population: it has announced a 28-euro laptop and, later, the cheapest car in the world (2,500 euros).
Today it surprises us with the price of what could be India’s home of the future, even if it is a prefab. The house measures 20 square metres and is designed to be “put together” in seven days. It comes in an Ikea-style “pack” with every part needed to assemble it, and the insulation and windows are included in the price too. The only thing it doesn’t come with is the land to put it on.
For a little more money, according to Yorokobu, you can even add solar panels or choose a larger model (30 m²). These houses are expected to go on sale in 2012, and the Tata group is looking for entrepreneurs or companies willing to do business with accessories to go with its house design.
From the West this house may look too small, incomplete or flawed. That’s when we should remember that, given the conditions many people live in in India, these prefab houses will feel like mansions to some families, a dream come true.
As for me, I’ve already noted down the Tata group’s phone number, just in case things in Spain get so bad that we need to buy one of these houses 🙂
Featured image: James Emery, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
