Why couldn’t cars be manufactured on a completely customizable, made-to-order basis?

Companies including Ford have taken a stab at made-to-order automobiles over the years, but no brand ever has committed serious purpose and resources toward the goal. Until now, apparently.

Another automotive brand that has nibbled around the edges of customizable vehicle manufacturing for several years now, says that it is committed to a robust experiment in made-to-order automobile production and retailing.

BMW, which is also teasing consumers with a Don't Blog About This "secret car" stunt (above), is getting ready to start promoting made-to-order car manufacturing.

BMW North America Inc. CEO Jim O’Donnell told AutoObserver.com that BMW plans to use TV commercials, print ads and a heavy online marketing to tout its made-to-order program for its X3 model. That will include the ability to watch your individual vehicle being manufactured, via webcam, at the company’s Spartanburg, S.C., assembly plant.

Besides the lack of automaker enthusiasm, there are two other major reasons that build-to-order never really has caught on. One is that Americans by and large seem perfectly content to purchase their vehicles off inventories on dealer lots. Another is that true customizable manufacturing strains a supplier-and-assembler network to go beyond the current state of the art in just-in-time logistics.
But if anyone would be enthused about having exactly what they want, as quickly as they want it, it would be BMW buyers; for that reason, there are three extra colors and two extra leather choices available only to purchasers of customizable X3s.

And if BMW really can give them up to six days before production to change orders — and still deliver their X3 to them within a couple of weeks afterward — made-to-order could become a real feather in BMW’s brand cap.

O’Donnell points out that the time might be ripe to launch build-to-order because his company – and other automakers, to be sure – have made great strides in keeping extremely tight control on vehicle production during this recession. Made-to-order customers are expected to want their cars fully loaded, which boosts margins. And the vehicles don’t have to sit on dealers’ lots, weathering the elements and racking up finance charges.

HT to Brandchannel