Although it is hard to make predictions on trends related to car ownership, it is clear that 80 percent of car buying decision is now influenced by women. While buying a new car, women are practical and tend to connect the purchase to the ideas of freedom and independence. They prefer small and maneuverable cars, but further give importance to design, spaciousness, safety, quality of materials, vehicle color and sustainability of the car. They like options like park assist, clear lighting for petrol and easy access, integrated systems for mobile devices, entertainment (especially moms) and everything that can make car-time easier and more intuitive. For this reason, in few years women will look towards cars with advanced features like autonomous – driving, digital assistants and other health wellness and well-being features, celebrity endorsements, in comparison to men who will focus more on researching the vehicle’s technical specifications.
Women also have a tendency to base their purchasing decision on the status of the car itself or associated values like color and comfort and, when it comes to volume brands, are less likely to associate themselves with a brand, model or car variant (hatchback or saloon, for example). This is the opposite when it comes to luxury brands, where women show high interest in the brand and endorsements of the brand by celebrities. Case in example is the new Land Rover Evoque, which was endorsed by Victoria Beckham, the famous Spice Girls singer, and has been the first Land Rover model that has more women customers (60 percent) to men. Other example of cars women have bought in greater quantities to men include – Nissan Kia (3 door with 65 percent female buyers), Mercedes SLK (reportedly 60 percent female buyers) and Fiat 500, for which women account for 70 percent of sales, given its almost infinite customization possibilities and some models conceived specifically for women (500 by Gucci, 500 Pink). Yet women do not only like small city cars, as there are trends seeing to purchase expansion in segments traditionally dominated by men: SUVs and luxury cars.
So guys, next time you get overtaken by a woman in the fast driving lane, don’t feel like you’re being challenged, rather get used to it.