Open-source cars? I like the idea, but ...

Chris Anderson, editor of Wired and famous for his “Free” and “The Long Tail” books, has a provocative story in this month’s Wired magazine about an open-source car maker called Local Motors.

Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers is taking all kinds of innovative approaches in launching the new Rally Fighter off-road car. (Wired.com)Open-source car maker.

Think about that.

Local Motors is a few months away from releasing its first model, the $50,000 off-road Rally Fighter. Local Motors tapped real people to “crowdsource” the design and help weave currently available parts into the finished product. “Each design is released under a share-friendly Creative Commons license, and customers are encouraged to enhance the designs and produce their own components that they can sell to their peers, Anderson writes.”

Ok, that’s cool. Kinda like a big auto app store.

But here’s the real kicker: Customers will build the cars at “local assembly centers.” That takes the kit-car concept a step further, moving assembly out of home garages to larger places where more hands and advisers can pitch in. Could this lead to something bigger, where truly custom and unique cars (as opposed to personalized from a palette of fixed choices) become commonplace? Sure, $50,000 is expensive, but those prices will fall as production efficiencies and bulk pricing kicks in. And if customizable parts are simplified to the point everyday folks can create their own kit car, what’s to say those same people couldn’t make extra cash by putting in a shift building someone else’s open-source car?

The thought of putting your safety in the hands of amateur car builders seems crazy. But at a time when the pros at Toyota have thrown their long-time reputation for quality down the tubes, who’s to say you or the gearhead down the street might not be a safer bet in building my next car? I’m a huge fan of open source, so I’m intrigued by what’s around the corner.

Having said that, I’ll wait for others to test the concept first. As the owner of a new Toyota, safety is top of mind for me these days. But troubled as Toyota is, they have a track record of mostly sterling performance to soothe long-time customers. Upstarts like Local Motors need to build reputations for quality, safety and performance before average consumers like me will bite. But I’m watching with interest.