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Interesting news - because you can't read everything!back

What women want in their wheels

How do women decide what car to buy? Car manufacturers estimate 20-48% of cars are bought by women. But the female influence on car purchases is a whopping 70-80%.
Women are a huge market for the big car manufacturers. Kristy Sexton reveals how they choose their wheels.

The man in the Toyota MR2 is feeling hot to trot.
It's a beautiful sunny day and he's sitting at the lights in his brand new sports car. It's a good-looking car with plenty of power and grunt.
He takes off, rips around a corner and smirks to himself as a group of people on the kerb look up and stare.
But then the bubble is burst.
"Oi, that's a girl's car," one of them shouts.
It's a time-honoured taunt from the macho side of the motoring world and has spawned much debate among male motoring enthusiasts.
After all, most men are desperate not to be seen in a girlie car.
For a long time now, the car industry has been considered a man's world.
But the truth is that women have a huge impact on car sales and don't generally get the credit for it.
A record 824,309 new cars were sold in Australia last year according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
Car manufacturers estimate between 20 and 48 per cent of all cars sold are bought by women.
But the big crunch comes with female influence on car purchases which comes in at a whopping 70-80 per cent according to car manufacturers' estimates.
So what drives women when they choose a car? And does the girlie car really exist?
While men are likely to focus on engine size, acceleration and performance, the most desirable features for women are design, value for money and performance, according to car marketers.
Mitsubishi's corporate communications manger Jill Thomas said women's car buying habits had become much more discerning.
"We've noticed over the last decade, things that were traditionally more important to males, such as performance and styling, have become just as important to women," Thomas said.
According to The New Car Buyers Survey for 2002, research undertaken by a collective of major car manufacturers, Holden's highest female-selling models were the Barina (68 per cent female buyers), Vectra four-cylinder (67 per cent female), Astra Convertible (62 per cent female) and Astra (61 per cent female).
The reasons for choosing the Barina were listed in order of importance as value for money (27 per cent), car size (21 per cent), and style and appearance (19 per cent.)
Safety and quality finish were ranked equally important at 15 per cent followed by previous satisfaction, the car's brand, and reputation.
Toyota's highest female selling-models were the MR2 (64 per cent female), Echo (63 per cent female), and RAV4 (61 per cent female). Interestingly, women account for 20 per cent of Landcruiser sales.
Ford says its Laser and Ka both have 68 per cent female buyers, while Mazda's most popular sole female purchase models are the Mazda2 (60 per cent female) and 323 (55 per cent female).
Audi's A3 and A4 models are both 40 to 50 per cent female.
International supermodel Megan Gale said she couldn't go past the Audi TT which she bought three years ago. "It's the first Audi I have ever had," Gale said.
"I just fell in love with it at first sight.
"I was looking for a convertible and I tested a few models but the TT was by far the winner, I feel really safe driving it."
Gale said she did not want to offend male owners of the Audi TT but she thought that it was definitely a "girl's car".
Principal of Sydney's Buckle Toyota dealership, Jane Buckle says many women are attracted to small four-wheel drives because they see them as being safe for their families.
Ms Buckle recently opened a used four-wheel drive yard at the North Shore dealership and says at least half of her customers are women.
Economics and safety aside, Australian women still want to look good in their cars.
Sports cars sales have risen by 58.6 per cent since last year according to the FCAU.

Car comes first