Talking About Automobiles

Basically, car companies avoid making gender-specific vehicles. But, “some cars are more masculine or feminine by nature”, said Jim Hossick, vice president and senior consultant at AutoPacific.

First, let’s talk about the preference of men. According to the studies conducted by AutoPacific, a market research firm focused on the auto industry, 93% of truck buyers are men. The study showed that males own approximately 9 out of 10 heavy-duty pickup trucks on the road. And, men usually choose the brands like Hummer, Dodge, Porsche and GMC.

There are male-friendly cars in the market. It includes the Ford F-350 and the Dodge Ram, of which men own 93% and 89% subsequently. According to Chrysler spokesperson Dan Bodene, that disproportionate numbers are created by a combination of marketing and design. In fact, the “Built Ford Tough” tag line can be heard during commercial breaks in NFL games. There are also other ads for the F-Series that features burly men in cowboy hats.

Bodene said, “It depends on the model, but the Ram tends to be used by guys who need that capability, either as heads of households hauling a lot of stuff, or on job sites in male-dominated professions.” Thus, door handles were made large enough for a man’s gloved hand. And, seats were made movable far enough away from the steering wheel to accommodate larger bodies or average American man, who is five and half inches taller and 27 pounds heavier than an average woman.

But, since automakers don’t want to discourage any potential buyers, the tailgates of even heavy-duty pickups were made light enough for all types of people to lift. And, seatbelts were made comfortable for both male and female body types.

On the other hand, females are usually more refined. Thus, they tend to choose Saturn, Honda, Volkswagen and Hyundai among other brands. In fact, about 65% of Volkswagen Beetle Convertible buyers are female.

VW spokesperson Keith Price mentioned that the New Beetle is bought and driven mostly by females. But, it was not because the designers worked on creating the vehicle as a woman’s car. He said that the car was initially launched having a dual appeal. After few years, they have discovered that the popularity of the vehicle was basically among women, brought up by the stylish design cues and more feminine colors, including “gecko green” and “sunflower yellow”.

Price said, “The female appeal of the car is one of the things that has sustained it over the years without a great deal of aesthetic change… but VW does absolutely not consider it ‘a woman’s car’.”

Hossick said, “People who have tried to make a vehicle that is female-centric have failed… Women might buy a ‘man’s’ vehicle, but men won’t buy a ‘women’s car’.” “If you can’t sell a car to boys and you can’t sell it to girls, then the market is going to be pretty small,” he added.

Well, that means the taste really matters even if the components of the vehicle are practical.