Auto-Buying Tendencies of Men and Women – Big Surprise

Who would have thought that men prefer fast and sporty cars, large trucks, or SUVs while women find small, fuel-efficient cars, crossovers and imports more appealing? The answer is probably everyone.   A study from TrueCar.com has revealed that there is a noticeable gender gap in auto-buying behaviors of men and women.  The study was based on more than 9 million retail purchases in 2011.   I guess the stereotype of guys liking a little more muscle and flash in their vehicle and girls choosing a safe and somewhat cute car is in fact supported by actual statistics.   MINI continued its reign over female buyers with the highest percentage of retail sales in 2011 with 46.2%, followed closely by Nissan at 45.7% and Kia at 45.6%.  Out of the top 20 brands with the highest percentage of female buyers, 16 of them were shown to be foreign.  Also, in its rookie year, Fiat made an impressive showing coming in at 12^th place, and Lexus was the only luxury brand in the female-buyer top 20 with a score of over 40 percent.   As for the guys, 13 of the 20 brands with the highest percentage were either exotic or luxury brands, and nine of the top 20 were domestic companies.  Not surprisingly Dodge and GMC reported that more than 70 percent of new-car buyers of muscle cars, trucks and SUVs were males.   Jessie Toprak, VP of market intelligence at TrueCar.com believes that this gender gap is narrowing, but there is still a strong "gender preference among the buyers of various automotive brands.”  This study furthermore shows that men persisted as the majority of exotic new car buyers.  Toprak feels that baby boomers may have a hand in this finding, as “exotic brands remain the best medicine for a midlife crisis.”   Volkswagen has provided some evidence that the gender gap may be narrowing by introducing the 2012 Beetle as a more “manly” model than in previous years.  It seemed to have worked because the new make had a higher percentage of male buyers in 2011 (45.4%), increasing six percent from the previous year.   So basically these findings have further solidified in peoples’ minds that girls want a safe and smaller car, and guys have more of a desire for something they can show off to their buddies when they pull up at the golf course.  Is there anything wrong with that? – Not at all.   This study is probably done mostly for marketing purposes anyway, but if a girl wants to drive off the lot with some adorable MINI and meanwhile her husband is revving the engine of his new Shelby Mustang for his bros, providing people keep buying cars, I doubt that the auto companies will care too much who is really buying them.   Just think if they did a study on buying habits of shoes, what shocking statistics do you think they’d find?       See the full article and study results here:   http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=4f81b0d7-7d74-4f32-b901-01ec0987e21d