U.S. car maker Local Motors announced this week that it will start rolling out 3-D printed cars in the year 2016. Prospective customers can expect to shell out more than $50,000 to get one of these vehicles.

Knox News reported that the 3-D printed car will be known as the LM3D and will be produced at Local Motors U.S. factory in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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Local Motors Chief Jay Rogers told his audience at the Las Vegas SEMA show that his company is using Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) to create cars in a new and more efficient way.

He boasted that the factory can directly manufacture the vehicle parts straight from the computer without the need to undergo tooling or even casting.

Although, the LM3D Swim is being touted as a 3-D printed car, some of its parts such as the steering wheel and tires cannot be made using 3-D printers, instead the company will use regular ones.

The company plans to launch the 3-D printed car's pre-sale campaign early next year. Customers can expect to get their hands on the LM3D Swim by 2017.

Although Local Motors earlier announced a price tag of $53,000, that amount is expected to go up due to unforeseen costs in its manufacture and the option given to buyers to customize the car.

The company announced that other LM3D models are currently being developed and will be made available by next year.

The LM3D Swim and Sport which is yet to be released, are both designed by Kevin Lo, the winner of Local Motor's Project Redacted contest, which was conducted around four months ago.

Local Motor's plant will be equipped with at least four 3-D printers and is expected to manufacture more than 2,000 cars annually. It will also serve as one of its showrooms.

The 3-D printed car will also be equipped with various apps and digital products which will enable the driver to monitor and enhance the driving experience. Local Motors has partnered with IBM and will utilize a program called the Internet of Things to interconnect the manufacturer, car and driver. The car maker claims that such a connection will make the driver a safe and enhance fuel saving.

Tags3D printed car, LM3d Swim, Local Motor, Knoxville 3-D Car Factory, Jay Rogers, 2016 release 3d-printed car