Category — Architecture

Can you sell a car that costs $1.1 million in a country where 65 percent of the population makes under $2 per day. If that country is India, the answer is sure, you can try.

The Maybach enters India

India has 69 dollar billionaires. One of them, Sunil Bharti Mittal, of Airtel, bought a Maybach a few years ago for the wedding of his child. Some reports say that Mukesh Ambani also owns one.

According to the Financial Times, “The Maybach will face stiff competition. Rolls Royce and Bentley already have a strong presence in the country. The former sold 70 cars in 2010. Mercedes hopes the Maybach’s hefty price tag, refined decor and maximum speed of 250km per hour will distingiush it from competitors.”

Takeaway:  If you know how to position properly for the Indian market, you can generally sell anything in India’s frenetic economy in 2011. (But it takes  courage,  flexibility and patience).

Called called Antila, after a mythical island in the Atlantic Ocean, the world’s most expensive home has just been completed after seven years of construction.  Billionare owner Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita and three children are set to move into the opulent 27-floor building after an housewarming party on October 28, which boosts a guest list of India’s elite that reportedly includes Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. The 37,000-square meter home,  is bigger than the Palace of Versailles, London‘s Telegraph reported. And with a wait staff of 600 and six floors of parking  for 168 cars it may feel more like a hotel to some. But it is not.

The billion-dollar Ambani Home

Antilia was built in consultation with US architecture firms Perkins + Will & Hirsch Bedner Associates.  American architects have had a major hand in shaping India’s new skyline.

Just above the six floors of parking is the is the lobby, with nine elevators servicing the building. On the eighth floor lies a 50-seat movie theater since the Ambanis can’t readily go to a commercial cinema show, given their celebrity status. Another floor consists of a ballroom that has a ceiling mostly covered by crystal chandeliers. Other floors contain a health spa with a gym and dance studio, swimming pools, lounges, a vehicle maintenance area and, of course, guest rooms. The Ambani family will reside on the skyscraper’s top four floors with breathtaking views of the Arabian Sea on one side and the back bay on the other.

Lodha Developers Ltd. of Mumbai has announced that it plans to build the world’s tallest residential tower using proceeds from its planned public offering.

Central Mumbai has enjoyed a huge resurgence as former textile mills have been torn down to make room for modern residential and commercial construction.  The financial, entertainment and manufacturing capital of India, Mumbai also contributes almost 40 percent of all personal income taxes collected in India, although it accounts for only 2 percent of the population.

Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners, the New York firm led by the architect who designed the famous pyramid at the Louvre in Paris and the iconic Bank of China tower in Hong Kong, is expected to win the design contract according to a report in Business Week.