Local Motors and BMW Group Team Up to Identify the Future of Class-Leading Functions for Premium Vehicles in an Urban

  Local Motors and BMW Group Team Up to Identify the Future of Class-Leading
  Functions for Premium Vehicles in an Urban Environment

  Powered by the Forge at Local Motors, BMW Group Sponsors the Urban Driving
           Experience Challenge; $30,000 in Prizes Will be Awarded

Business Wire

PHOENIX -- September 17, 2012

The BMW Group and Local Motors will jointly launch a first-of-its kind ideas
competition intended to identify vehicle features and functions that will
define the urban driving experience in the year 2025. In a project that will
see the BMW Group tap into the global know-how of Local Motors online
community of more than 20,000 members, the aim of this collaboration is to
glean new inspiration and broader perspectives for future mobility solutions.

The BMW Urban Driving Experience Challenge, powered by the Forge at Local
Motors, will be a two-phase challenge that engages participants in a
forward-focused challenge specifically targeted to providing next-generation
driving solutions to the world’s growing urban populations, and the challenges
that are unique to these “Mega-City” environments. The first phase of the
challenge will begin on September 25, 2012.

Increasing urbanisation, changing infrastructures and environmental pollution
call for mobility solutions that strike a balance between global requirements
and individual needs. This is nowhere more apparent than in the most densely
populated and fastest growing urban centers around the world. BMW is already
addressing this challenge today with visionary electric vehicles such as the
BMW i3, as well as mobility services, inspiring design and an interpretation
of premium that is strongly defined by sustainability. As a further step, the
BMW Group has chosen to work with the open-source community at Local Motors to
offer consumers the opportunity to participate in this endeavor.

“With our claim to innovation leadership, we have found in Local Motors the
ideal partner with whom to explore new, forward-looking and revolutionary
mobility solutions,” says Dr. Christoph Grote, Managing Director BMW Group
Research and Technology. “The results will undoubtedly be very valuable for
BMW, and we eagerly anticipate the extent to which we can channel the
expertise we acquire into our series-production processes.”

With regard to design, development and construction, Local Motors is a leader
in the world of “co-creation” – in fostering the design and development of
locally relevant vehicles through a shared, open creative process between the
company and the community. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Phoenix,
Arizona, the Local Motors community has from more than 130 countries, among
them numerous engineers, industrial designers, fabricators and passionate
automotive enthusiasts. To date, more than 100,000 design submissions have
been posted to the Forge as a result of various competitions and
user-submitted project ideas.

“We are delighted to be able to share the know-how of our community with the
BMW Group, one of the world’s leading automakers, and hope that this
collaboration will be crowned with success on both sides,” states Jay Rogers,
CEO and co-founder of Local Motors.

Competition & Prizes

Phase 1 of the BMW Challenge will run from September 25 – October 16, 2012. A
detail design brief and video outlining specific goals and deliverables will
be released on the Local Motors website on September 25. A second challenge
will begin in mid-November. In all, $30,000 in prize money will be awarded
along with the opportunity for the top winners in each competition to travel
to BMW headquarters in Munich to meet with the company’s director of research
and development.

Together, BMW Group and Local Motors have created a short video that tells the
story behind this innovative challenge. Click here to view the video.

All information to participate in and support the BMW Group Urban Driving
Experience Challenge will be available online at www.LocalMotors.com/bmw.

About Local Motors

Local Motors leads next generation, crowd-powered automotive manufacturing,
design and technology to enable the creation of game changing vehicles.
Through open-source principals, Local Motors co-creates innovative vehicles
and components with its virtual community of 18,000+ designers, fabricators,
engineers and enthusiasts from around the world. Its groundbreaking approach
to automotive development has been recognized in publications such as Popular
Science, Wired and Popular Mechanics, as well as the Discovery Channel. For
more information and/or to join the Local Motors Community visit
www.localmotors.com.

Contact:

Local Motors, Inc.
Amy Romano
Mobile: 480-371-0575
Email: aromano@local-motors.com
Info: forge.LocalMotors.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/localmotors
Facebook: http://facebook.com/localmotors