Who could forget the car from Pretty Woman? For many women, this iconic movie is near the top of the list when it comes to favorite chick flicks. Even though Julia Roberts and Richard Gere charm, it’s the Lotus that steals the show for car enthusiasts.
In the movie, Julia Roberts, clearly impressed by the Lotus Esprit, says, “This has pedals like a race car. They’re really close together. So it’s probably easier for a woman to drive, ’cause they have little feet.”
Whether or not that’s true is up for debate, but it is certainly true that there are some marked differences when it comes to the favorite cars of men and women.
A J.D. Powers and Associates study found that only a few cars have more female than male owners – and the margin between the sexes is usually small. Among vehicles popular with women car buyers are the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Hyundai Tucson.
Men, on the other hand, have historically been big fans of high-performing exotic cars like the Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette. Both models boast 90% male ownership.
J.D. Powers and Associates reports that women are more interested in a car’s safety features than in the performance specs or entertainment options.
“Women renting a car for an anniversary or husband or boyfriend’s birthday is a significant part of our luxury car rental business,” says Ron Sturgeon, a motivational speaker and owner of a Dallas exotic car rental company.
“People suppose that most of our clients are men, but that’s not so. Some of our best and most loyal clients are women who appreciate the pleasure of turning heads in the latest and most exotic automobiles.
“There isn’t a gender gap when it comes to renting a Bentley GTC in Dallas or taking a dream drive in a Lamborghini Gallardo,” insists the Tarrant Country, TX car rental agency owner.
Part of the difficulty in interpreting statistics like those from the study by J.D. Powers and Associates study is that their researchers assumed that a male name on the title indicated the car choice reflected a man’s preference for the model.
That’s not necessarily so. For example, when a married couple buy a car, it is frequently only the man’s name that gets put on the title. It isn’t logical to assume that in every case the car titled to a man was not heavily influenced by the preferences of his wife or female significant other.
Marketing professionals may be underestimating the importance of women in car buying. Most car campaigns are either targeted exclusively toward men (like Chevy’s “Like a rock” tagline) or marketed to both men and women. In 70% of US households women share or have sole responsibility for the family finances. It’s not likely that a major purchase such as a car gets green lighted without a word or two of input from the lady with a grip on the purse strings.
And for those women hoping to drive a Lotus like in the one in Pretty Woman, there’s some bad news. The Lotus Esprit is no longer in production.
“We do have a Lotus Elise for rent,” says Sturgeon. “It’s a popular DFW sports car rental among both male and female because driving an exotic car like the Lotus never fails to turn heads of both men and women.”
If you’re feeling the itch to drive a sports car without making the investment to buy it, why not find an agency specializing in high end car rental in your area. An online directory of rental car agencies with cars as exotic as Richard Gere’s Lotus can be found at http:www.rentexoticcars.net.
Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services
