Why Jeff Jarvis is annoying, installment No. 647
Matthew DeBord provides the details. New-media visionary Jarvis has just discovered customizable kit cars and thinks they're the automotive-manufacturing model of the future. Think of it: they're kind of like blogs!
Particularly amusing is that Jarvis says he only drives Toyotas, because he never wants to open his hood or touch a wrench. Local Motors, the start-up company he touts, sounds like a pleasant-enough venture, but its present target market is gearheads. This incongruence does not waylay Jarvis on the road to hyperbole.
Ariel Ferreira on 09 Jun 2009 at 4:00 pm #
Not a fan of Jarvis, I see. Though he may not be a car enthusiast, he does seem to be interested in new (and potentially successful) business models.
Local Motors cars are not customizable, nor are they kit. The major transition from traditional auto manufacturing is that Local Motors design process allows anyone who is interested to help choose which designs are chosen for production, and then collaborate on the design and engineering development.
The other differentiating factor is that Local Motors is… local
A car for Arizona is much different than a car for Boston based on local topography, aesthetic and local desires. By building in a decentralized fashion through micro-factories we are also able to utilize locally available fuel sources, and we are more agile and able to adapt to quickly changing consumer demand. We also build in limited quantities – and yes, we focus on “gearheads”.
Think of “gearheads” as the trendsetters of car buyers.
Ariel
aferreira@local-motors.com