Posted on: Sunday, January 11, 2004
Car designers still go for the guy thing
By Mike Hudson
Detroit News
DETROIT — With plush leather, deluxe acoustic systems and elegant wood trim, the $150,000 Bentley Continental GT is the kind of vehicle designed to satisfy a driver's every desire.
Except for one detail.
"There's still no place for your purse," said Denesha Evans, an account executive from Westland, Mich., as she sat in the driver's seat.
How about the $320,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom?
"They'll have a place for the umbrella, but not for your purse," said Corri Wofford, a marketing manager from Detroit, as she and Evans perused the new models at the North American International Auto Show.
Based on a new survey of Detroit-area women released Thursday by the Women's Economic Club, and past market research, female consumers generally want more storage, better safety features and more room in their vehicles — extras that don't rank high in importance among men.
But despite research that shows women purchase 50 percent of new cars and influence 80 percent of car-buying decisions, their preferences often are overlooked by the auto industry.
In recent years, automakers have toned down the testosterone to a certain extent, tacking on safety features and revamping interiors to handle loose change and a super-sized soda from the drive-through.
But there still is room for improvement, according to the survey.
"One thing that is important to me is interior design," said Carey Oven, a partner at an accounting firm in Detroit who participated in the survey. "Where do I put my cell phone and my purse?"
Other features the women asked for were better windshield wipers, adjustable pedals that can be operated in high heels and computer chargers or ports.
Even the seemingly innocuous bench seat is a heated battleground between the genders, said Art Spinella, an industry analyst at CNW Marketing in Bandon, Ore.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Spinella said, surveys have shown women on average rate the bench seat an 8, because it lets them place items within reach when driving.
Men, meanwhile, tend to think the bench seat is lame, rating it a 2.2. Males prefer the appearance of bucket seats, giving them a 6.3; women rate separated seats a 3.4.
"Women tend to be more practical as consumers — rating things such as safety as very important while men tend to be more concerned with appearance and rating the stereo system as very important," Spinella said.
One of the most polarizing models at the show remains the Hummer H2 sport utility.
"Personally, this is just too big," said Robin Swift, an auto-supply saleswoman who came to the show with Gary Sullivan, a road-construction company manager.
"I like it being big, but that's a guy thing," Sullivan said.
"I like the styling a lot, but I'd like a smaller version of this before I'd buy it," Swift said.
Not everyone agrees the differences between "men's" and "women's" cars are all that striking.
John and Susan Kibele of Holland, Mich., said they had very similar reactions to cars at the auto show, chalking up any differences to personal preference.
"I don't think it has a whole lot to do with gender," Susan Kibele said. "My daughter drives a truck. I don't think women want much different than men generally."
Whether or not the difference is as big as the industry thinks, they'll likely keep cranking out cars aimed mostly at men, Spinella said.
"Up to this point, they'll just use what they think men want and figure women will just buy it anyway," he said. "That's why you see so many bucket seats as standard equipment."
