Tata Building $7,800 Apartments in Mumbai

theodp writes "What do you do for an encore after you've shown the world it's possible to build a $2,000 car? Ratan Tata, head of India's giant Tata conglomerate, now plans to build, 30 miles outside of Mumbai, 1,200 tiny apartments that will sell for $7,800 to $13,400 each. Sure, they're small (floor plans), but keep in mind that you can pay a quarter of a million bucks for a 250-sq.-ft. studio in the East Village. Time reports that Tata has had to beef up security to handle the rush of buyers who want to plunk down their $200 deposits (yes, that's two hundred dollars!). Who would've thought you could make IKEA homes look pricey?" The Businessweek.com article says that the apartments are aimed at someone making $6,000 to $10,000 per year (Time says $5,000). In Mumbai, a call center operator with 10 to 20 years of experience barely qualifies at $6,400 annually. 70% of the country's 1.2 billion people live on 1/20 as much.

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[sethstorm]

Hardly insightful.

To tear away your arguments:

industries that are less energy-efficient than those in developing countries

That's the wrong way around. The smoke, soot, toxins and such lead to Third World countries.

overcrowded apartments that cost more than houses;

Again, the wrong way around. That's what you'll find in developing countries, w/ the requisite Third World/Far East shortcuts.

doctors and prescription drugs that routinely cause more harm than good

This is another one completely on India and such, the home of various knockoff drugs.

Giant cars that get horrid gas mileage

That's just a preference for not going "Al Gore" and not being left wanting at the gas pedal. Taking those cars from the masses is an issue of overly powered environmental activists. That is, the types who buy offsets to fly into the mecca of lifestyle environmentalism- Aspen, Colorado, USA.