Expanding Market Share One Car at a Time

Tata, the maker of the $2000 Nano car is breaking into the housing industry with a number of VERY small units that range in size from 218 SF to 373 SF.  The units will cost between $7,800 to $13,400 each and are to target the suburban outer ring of Mumbai and other major cities in India. Although I am not very familiar with Mumbai, it’s housing needs, or it’s demographics, I am all for trying to address affordability issues though market rate means. Poor graphics aside, these units seem difficult at best to occupy.  I say this based not so much on size but more on the fact that they are trying to take a more traditional post war unit plan and simply scale it down by 50%. I would think if you are going to re-pose the question of a living unit through the limitations of +/-300 SF you would want to rethink most if not all spatial and programmatic relationships.