Over the years, automobile manufacturers and their research partners have spent millions of dollars trying to resolve the age old dilemma of Mars vs. Venus - at least as it pertains to cars.  Marketing research firms have crunched a myriad of numbers, including vehicle sales volumes, vehicle registrations, and survey data in order to understand what cars each gender buys and why.  The results probably won’t come as a big surprise.

Much of the data relating to men’s automobile preferences is clear.  Findings from market research firms such as AutoPacific and NOP World show that large trucks and sports cars are purchased predominately by men.  In fact, males own about nine out of 10 heavy-duty pickup trucks, including the Chevy Silverado, Ford F-350 and Dodge Ram.  This is due to a combination of masculine marketing campaigns (i.e. “Built Ford Tough”) and a need to haul lots of stuff either at home or on job sites in male-dominated professions.  Sports cars at the top of the testosterone scale include the exotic Ford GT, Porsche 911, BMW 6-series, Dodge Viper, and Mercedes SL65 AMG.  In other words, if it’s big and strong or stupid fast, guys like it.  They also like expensive.   I guess that sign my mother bought for my father years ago that said, “The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys” was dead on.

Women’s tastes, on the other hand, tend to be a little more refined.  The cars that are more popular with women are affordable, practical and safe, but with a dose of design sophistication.  AutoPacific found that female buyers most often choose models by Saturn, Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen.  It comes as no surprise that 65% of VW Beetle Convertible buyers are female, although Volkswagen denies that they were consciously trying to make a women’s car.  I guess they thought that a flower vase on the dash and colors such as “gecko green” and “sunflower yellow” would appeal equally to men.  Yeah, right.

But, don’t think that men are the only ones who prioritize luxury and high performance.  Girls like to have fun, too.  Four of the top “girl cars” are sports cars - the Saturn Sky, Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mitsubishi Eclipse.  In the luxury segment, women also gravitate towards the Lexus IS, Volvo C70, and Audi A3.  The common denominator with most of these cars is that they are sophisticated, refined vehicles with good safety ratings and reasonable price tags.   They also get decent gas mileage.  Market experts expect to see women buying more luxury and sports cars in the near future, as the baby boomers hit the post-family stage and can finally spend money on themselves.

Not all cars fall clearly into one gender camp or another.  Even though the Mitsubishi Eclipse is extremely popular among women, approximately 39% of the 2006 models were sold to men.  The Honda Accord and CRV, Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry and RAV4 also span gender lines.  These tend to be family-oriented vehicles that offer a balance of safety, reliability, function and value.  Since women still hold the primary responsibility for transporting their families, they usually place practical needs above personal desires.  And, even if men might prefer a flashy vehicle for themselves, they still place a high priority on safety when it comes to their families.  Maybe men and women are both from Earth after all.  

Which vehicles do Women’s Automotive Solutions clients prefer?  About half of our business is Honda and Toyota.  The Honda Accord, CRV and Pilot are extremely popular, as are the Toyota RAV4, Highlander and Prius.  We also purchase many new and pre-owned luxury cars for our clients.  Among the most popular makes are BMW, Lexus, Acura and Volvo.