New Study Finds Women Comprise 38.5% of U.S. Auto Sales

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

EU White Paper Proposes to Ban Petrol and Diesel Cars from City Centers by 2050

The European Commission has unveiled a plan for transport in the European Union that will leave many of its citizens dumbfounded. It sets some very challenging goals with a 2050 deadline. The White Paper proposes the ban of conventionally fueled cars in the city centers, along with a 40 percent cut in shipping emissions. Furthermore, the plans envisions a 40 percent reduction in carbon fuels in aviation and a 50 percent shift in middle distance journeys by both passengers and freight from road to rail and other modes of transportation.

According to EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas, all these measures combined would generate a 60 percent overall cut in carbon emissions on the continent. In addition, the Commission wants to reduce deaths caused by road accidents by 50 percent in 2020 and hopes to “move close” to eliminating deaths by 2050.

Setting ambitious objectives is one thing, but the reality is a completely different story. The United Kingdom has already rejected the Commission's proposal with the country's transport minister Norman Baker saying the EU should not be involved in cities' transport choices. "We will not be banning cars from city centers anymore than we will be having rectangular bananas," Baker said.

Kallas was heavily criticized by the Association of British Drivers, which views the plan as a crazy restriction on mobility. "I suggest that he goes and finds himself a space in the local mental asylum," said Hugh Bladon, BDA spokesman. "If he wants to bring everywhere to a grinding halt and to plunge us into a new dark age, he is on the right track. We have to keep things moving. The man is off his rocker," he added.

Christopher Monckton, UK Independence Party's transport spokesman, also mocked the Commission's proposal: "The EU must be living in an alternate reality, where they can spend trillions and ban people from their cars. This sort of greenwashing grandstanding adds nothing and merely highlights their grandiose ambitions."

Feel free to express your views on this matter in the commentary area below.

By Dan Mihalascu

Sources: EU, BBC & Telegraph

8 Out of 10 British Drivers use their Mobile Phones on the Road, Despite the Fact it’s Illegal

A UK website called GoodMobilePhones has polled some 1,859 visitors and found that 81% of respondents admit to using a mobile phone without a hands-free device while driving, despite the fact it’s been illegal to do so in Britain for over seven years.

Of those 81%, 52% use their mobile phones to make calls, 44% use them to send text messages, 31% use them to check their email and 24% use them to look at social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Of all the respondents, only 12% said they’d never make a phone call while driving without a hands free kit and just 3% said they’d never use their phone at all while on the road.

More disturbing, 62% were not aware of the punishments that could be incurred for such behaviour, and 11% were unsure. Only 27% claimed to be fully aware and used their mobile phones regardless.

Mark Owen, the founder of GoodMobilePhones had this to say about the survey:

“It’s surprising to see how many people still take or make calls without a hands-free kit whilst driving, particularly given how aware we all are of the dangers. While we all may be guilty of checking the odd text or Facebook status when in a traffic jam, this is nevertheless illegal, not to mention hazardous to both yourself and other drivers. It’s amazing to think that the law banning mobile phones whilst driving is just over seven years old, yet the majority of people are still using their mobile phone whilst operating a vehicle.”

It’s a sad state of affairs, though somewhat inevitable in our highly networked world. The good old days of work ending when we leave the office are long behind us, and with social networking rapidly replacing the tried-and-true methods of interpersonal communication, this problem is only going to get worse in the future.

Add to that increasing traffic congestion and road rage incidents and it would seem the British are in for a lot more than they bargained for.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: TheTelegraph

Lincoln Brand and Porsche 911 Top JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

Ford's luxury division Lincoln moved up one spot in the annual JD Power reliability study to gain the title of most reliable brand sold in the U.S., ahead of Lexus and Jaguar. The industry overall vehicle dependability has also improved compared to 2010, but automakers still have problems with new technologies and features.

The 2011 study takes into account problems experienced in the past 12 months by more than 43,700 original owners of three-year-old cars (2008 model year). JD Power determines the overall dependability by the level of Problems encountered Per 100 vehicles (PP100). A lower score reflects higher quality and the good news is the overall vehicle dependability averaged 151 PP100, the best value since the creation of the study.

With a score of 101, Lincoln was the top brand, improving by 13 PP100 from the previous year. The list with the top five brands include Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche and Toyota, with the most reliable model being the Porsche 911, with only 68 problems per 100 vehicles.

Seven Toyota-made cars came first in their segments, the most victories for an automaker: Lexus RX, Scion xB and the Toyota-branded 4Runner, Prius, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra. The Japanese automaker was followed by Ford Motor Company, with four models (Ford Fusion, Ford Mustang, Lincoln MKZ and Lincoln Navigator). Next came GM (Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, and Chevrolet Tahoe) and Honda (Acura RL, Honda CR-V and Honda Fit). Other cars that topped their categories were the BMW X3 (although the brand ranked below average), the Mazda MX-5 and the Mercedes-Benz CLK.

Even if the industry is showing overall improvements in reliability, JD Power stresses that automakers register an increased rate of problems with electronic features such as audio, entertainment and navigation systems, as well as with new safety features, such as tire pressure monitoring systems.

“Automakers, as a whole, have made significant improvements in reducing traditional problems, particularly with vehicle interiors; engines and transmissions; and steering and braking during the past several years,” said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates. “However, as manufacturers add new features and technologies to satisfy customer demand and new legislation, they face the potential for introducing new problems,” he added.

Scroll down to take a look at the winners and losers of JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: J.D. Power

JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

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Study Shows What Brands Captured the Interest of Pontiac Owners in 2010

A new survey from RL Polk & Co. suggests that most Pontiac owners who bought a new car in 2010 chose a product from General Motors. More specifically, of the 57,641 Pontiac customers looking to replace their car, GM was able to recapture 53.3% of them, with 33.5% being a Chevrolet vehicle, 11.7% a GMC, 6.7% a Buick, and 1.5% a Cadillac model.

A significant percentage of buyers defected to the Ford brand, which ranked 3rd overall with 10.5%, while the Chrysler Corporation saw the Dodge brand ranked 9th, capturing 3.2%. Jeep and Chrysler together were able to capture the interest of 1.7% of Pontiac owners looking for a new vehicle in 2010.

Almost 31% opted for imported brands, with Toyota capturing 7.7% of Pontiac owners, and Honda 7.5%.

Source: Polk