As you might recall, we reported that Local Motors is gearing up to sell their very first series of fully-homologated, production cars, and apparently, the small company from Arizona has got an ace up its sleeve.
Apart from the whole “aiming to be the first car manufacturer to offer 3D-printed, road-worthy cars for sale”, Local Motors will be the first car manufacturer to recycle its products. Autoblog reports that company has an unusual proposition for its customers, by offering them a chance to upgrade their cars throughout the duration of ownership, and melting their cars. Wait, it’s not as crazy as it sounds…
Unlike trading their old cars for a new design – just like someone has to do at “traditional” car manufacturer – Local Motors wants to melt the car (since it’s made out of plastic and whatnot) and construct a new one out of the recycled material. Cool, huh?
In fact, Justin Fishkin, chief strategy officer at Local Motors, told Autoblog that the idea is already in full swing, stating:
“We’re working on that process as we speak, and it’s possible because that material is recyclable. People might actually want to keep their car longer, or they’ll say, I want to bring it back and we’ll have a better car by the end of the day.”
With delivery of the cars starting in late 2016, at a MSRP of $53,000, Fishkin says that the actual price will vary from $18,000 to $60,000 depending on options and the upgraded hardware:
“That’s for an upgradable hardware experience, and might be for multiple cars. The best proxy is the phone, and you have a two-year contract and you can upgrade your phone. It won’t look exactly like that, but it will look similar.”
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