Women get less say in car buying

From the Kidderminster Shuttle, first published Wednesday 6th Jun 2007.

SIX in 10 women either made, or had a major say in, the car buying decision in their households, compared with seven out of 10 men, according to a survey.

The research, commissioned by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders - SMMT - also revealed emissions were less important to buyers than price and running costs.

A quarter - 26 per cent - of women, who had been in a car showroom in the past two years, recalled seeing colour-coded eco-labels, compared to 22 per cent of men Sixty-one per cent of women had significant input into car buying decisions, compared to 75 per cent of men.

When it came to the environment, safety, and the car buying experience, there were clear differences between the attitudes of younger and older women motorists.

That was among findings in Women and Motoring, based on an Ipsos MORI omnibus survey.

Focus groups explored different attitudes to motoring in the under-40 and over-40 age groups. The discussions provided food for thought for car-makers and dealers.

Both older and younger women placed environmental factors towards the bottom of the agenda when buying a car, although there was more concern about the environmental impact of motoring among the under-40s.

Younger women seemed more willing to consider buying vehicles with lower CO2 emitting technologies. Older buyers were dismissive of their role in limiting emissions and there was some uncertainty about how alternative technologies, like electric-hybrid cars, worked.

The over-40s felt manufacturers were responsible, exclusively, for delivering cleaner cars on to the road.

Members of the younger group, however, acknowledged consumer action also had a part to play - if people would not buy the cars, manufacturers would not make them.

There was a sense among older and younger women that safety came as standard with new cars, so they did not see it as a priority when buying a new or nearly-new car.

Older drivers, however, seemed more wary about how safety systems operated, particularly airbags.

More mature women also preferred larger cars, assuming safety was synonymous with larger vehicles but also, partly, for practical reasons.

"Our findings show nearly as many women are buying cars as men, so manufacturers and dealers ignore their views at their peril," said SMMT chief executive, Christopher Macgowan.

"I'm pleased to note that younger women, in particular, are generally having a good experience in dealerships.

"However, the industry probably needs to work on explaining technological progress to more mature drivers, both in terms of safety and environmental technologies.

"We also need to continue to work with Government to raise environment up the agenda for all car buyers."

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