Local-motors.com - A New American Car Company

Did you do a double-take when you read the title of this review? I mean, the news for the American car industry has been going from bad to worse over the last couple of generations and the Big 3 appear perilously close to disappearing, so who in their right mind would consider that a new American car company would be a bright idea? Well, American ingenuity is still second-to-none but the penchant for innovation has been sadly lacking in the auto industry. Local Motors wants to change that by radically altering the way that cars are produced. First off, is an open design contest where anyone can submit a dream car design at local-motors.com and perhaps become the designer of the first Local Motors car. This design contest allows other users to vote and to make comments on the best designs and will be followed by new contests on a monthly basis. Secondly, Local Motors will apply “just in time” strategies to everything that they do by constructing small, low inventory, low capital-intensive facilities across the country. Thirdly, they will build environmentally friendly cars and a sustainable supply chain that are inline with today’s reality of high gas prices.

“Local Motors will design, manufacture, and bring to market innovative, safer, more functional, lightweight, efficient cars through a revolutionary, local assembly and retail experience. These cars will revolutionize not only automobiles, but also the very structure of auto-making, auto-selling, and auto-servicing.”

The US auto industry has repeatedly failed to modernize itself and many must question whether the Big 3 will ever be able to get their act together. Essentially, Local Motors appears to have done an intensive study, noted best practices throughout the world, and come up with a structure that may well put America back on the map. This forward thinking company seems to have come up with the ideal 2.0 solution to qualm the woes of the US auto industry.

Will they really be able to compete in an ultra-competitive industry, especially considering the $50,000 price tag? They appear to have thought of everything but there are so many unknowns and is there really room out there for another auto maker?