Cars for him and for her

Press, 12 April 1989, Page 20

Cars for him and for her

WHAT carmakers often mean when they say a car is welldesigned is that it appeals to men, particularly to their less noble instincts. "Beautiful body.” “She must move like a dream.” But auto-macho is going out of style. In America, 47 per cent of new private cars are bought by women, up from 36 per cent in 1980. Add in the influence women have on a family’s carbuying, and it is probable that women are more influential over-all in choosing cars than men. So carmakers are learning

to create designs that appeal to them.

Women tend to buy cheaper cars, largely because working women tend to have lower incomes. In America, they buy 55 per cent of the small cars, 44 per cent of medium-sized ones, but only 28 per cent of large and luxurious models. They put more store on reliability than men do — probably a hidden reason for the rise in Japanese imports.

American carmakers are now tailoring certain versions of their cars with women in mind. And

they are learning that design can sway even normally pragmatic women, as a comparison between Ford’s Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar demonstrates. The Thunderbird is a highperformance car — i.e., it goes fast — and is styled to look aggressive. Less than 40 per cent of Thunderbirds are bought by women. But the same car — with a more sedate body, a different name (the Cougar) and different advertising — is as popular with women as it is with men.

Coyright — The Economist