I believe Seth Godin has just given away an idea that will save the U.S. automotive industry. Automobiles, for all of their personalization and various makes and models, still target an extremely focused mindset, one which is rapidly changing as the highways feel less safe and gas prices continue to rise. Automakers typically don’t build cars with the intention that they’ll still be going strong at the end of a four year lease. After all, how could they make money by building long-lasting, reliable products? So marketing a car to teens - one that will probably last them from age 16 through college - seems like a brilliant idea. Make it cheap, safe and stylish and you have a winner. The Scions and such already attempt this, but I still think they’re out of the price range of many. Most parents, mine included, would rather give junior an old used car that they can afford to have wrecked than a brand new, fresh-off-the-lot bling machine. But used cars are wildly unreliable and rarely last through the life of the teen’s needs. So build a new car that can sort of afford to be wrecked (but is more likely to survive if it is), is extremely safe and fairly inexpensively customizable and, to some degree, hackable to satisfy the budding gearheads.

Brilliant idea. Let’s hope the Japanese don’t see it first.