Americans love their cars. Whether it’s a humble family wagon, a muscle car, a luxury sedan or even a minivan: there’s nothing Americans like better than the automobile. What’s that, you say? What about women car owners?
Unsurprisingly for a species with just two genders, half the world’s population is female. And as everyone these days has to own at least one car, automakers obviously spend a lot of money catering specifically to that section of the market.
In a new study by automotive industry analyst R. L. Polk, it was found that some 38.5% of the last four year’s light vehicle registrations were made by – you guessed it – women. In “not-white” households, it’s more like 40 to 45%. It might not seem like much,
So what are the nation’s womenfolk buying? Would you be surprised to learn that nearly half of all MINI sales (47.9%) went to the fairer sex? Okay, so that’s not too surprising, but how are top five market leaders doing? Well, scroll down to see for yourself:
Top Five Brands based on Passenger Vehicle Sales to Women
Brand / Share of Women Market
- Toyota 15.7% (Represents 15.7 of every 100 sales to women is a Toyota)
- Honda 14.0%
- Ford 10.0%
- Chevrolet 8.9%
- Nissan 8.8%
Top Five Brands based on Women's Share of Brand Sales
- Mini 47.9% (Represents 47.9 of every 100 Minis sold are registered to women)
- KIA 46.8%
- Honda 46.0%
- Nissan 45.5%
- Subaru 45.0%
And those market leaders hold over fifty percent of vehicle sales to women! Of course, R. L. Polk doesn’t tell us why women prefer those brands over others, though it’s probably for the same reasons men do: brand image, perceived reliability, price, equipment, performance, fuel economy etcetera.
So there you have it, folks. Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but ladies prefer a MINI. Who knew?
By Tristan Hankins
Source: R.L. Polk
