Women Determine 90 Per Cent of All Car Sales INTRIGUED??? HONDA’S FULL HYBRID: FCX CLARITY I TEST DRIVE: MAHINDRA Mhawk 2 Wheelsunplugged APRIL 2008
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Driving Holiday Gypsy’s peculiar behaviour enroute Chandertal Lake p6 A Red Tree Convergent Media Publication WheelsVOL 1 I ISSUE 4 I APRIL 2008 I www.wheelsunplugged.com UnpluggedUnplugged F1 Races My Say Rule changes make Aussie and Naveen B.R. finds Bajaj’s sales & Malaysian Grand Prix different p4 service a problem p11 INTERVIEW CELEBRITY Raring for Lamborghini JITU NAVLANI PAGE 10 Women determine 90 per cent of all car sales INTRIGUED??? HONDA’S FULL HYBRID: FCX CLARITY I TEST DRIVE: MAHINDRA mHAWK 2 WheelsUnplugged APRIL 2008 COVER STORY The world is enough Read, what women want! Are all women the same? Well, almost…if you consider their wishlist for cars. Take, for example, the Your Concept Car (YCC). In 2004, Volvo got 120 (sometimes, the numbers went up to 140!) women together to design a car with all the ideal features for women. The result was the fully loaded YCC which had: No hood - no woman really wants to look under the hood. Just as long as the mechanic is able to, she’s fine. Storage space - how do you manoeuvre a guitar into the backseat without hitting anything? The answer is gull-wing doors that gave wider access to the rear space. No gas cap - instead, a roller-ball valve serves the purpose. Similarly the windshield washer fluid is filled through a valve next to the gas valve, since most women said that that was the only reason they went under the hood. Easy clean - the paint and glass were dust repellent and the removable seat covers were machine washable. Easy park - parallel parking a problem? Not any more: the car will take over. Extras - the headrest was ponytail friendly, the tyres were run-flat and the pedals collapsed into the floor in the event of a crash. By the way, the ladies finished the entire exercise in just 15 months at less than US$ 3.3 million, the tightest budget and quickest turn-around for any Volvo prototype! Then there have been surveys like the one conducted by LeaseTrader.com that lists the top five things that women want in their cars: > Fold-down back seats > Bluetooth capability > MP3/iPod connectivity Believe it or get left behind: women determine 90 per cent of all car > Automatic open/close hatchback > GPS technology In another study, NewCarBuyingGuide.com discov- sales. What do they look for in their wheels? And are automakers in ered the finer touches that go into making a woman- friendly car: India ready to pamper the fair sex? Indu Prasad reports > Electric Pedal Extenders that can be adjusted according to a person’s height. > Gentler opening and closing of the hatch. id you know that the back then. WOMANSPEAK an employee of a leading media > Height adjustable seats. Boxster, inspite of Now, though, things are sig- More storage was one thing company. > Higher quality interior materials. being marketed as a nificantly different. Over 50 per that most women we spoke to “I travel with my 10-month- > Gentle curving buttons, knobs and levers. male sports car, is cent of all car sales are made wanted. This, we found, also old and, like with all babies, I > D Mechanical soundness and better reliability. bought by more women than by women and a massive 90 reflects global trends in what have to carry his food, change > Package holders for grocery. men? Or that, way back in per cent of all car choices are women want in cars. A survey of clothes/diapers, pram… plus > Dual climate control so that everyone is happy. 1955, Daimler became the first determined by women. Are au- by LeaseTrader.com, conducted I need to strap him onto the car > Dual radio, stereo and CD systems. Again, so that automaker to customise a car tomakers listening? They have in October last, listed ‘Fold- seat. My Swift, with no airbags everyone is happy. for women? The ‘104 Ladies to do a great deal more than down back seats for more in the front, is ideal because it In fact, it was in view of the increasing numbers of Model’ came with a cosmetic add that token vanity mirror to storage room’ as the feature has lots of space in the back for women customers that Ford and the other pick-up pack, fitted luggage, an woo the women. We decided they liked best. the baby luggage and the truck makers in the US added a whole lot of features umbrella, and even a shooting to take a look at what women “It isn’t just that women passenger seat is perfect for like smoother automatic transmissions and easy-shift stick! Soon after, Dodge intro- want in cars, and how well need more space for shopping my son’s car seat,” says Uma manual transmissions, power windows, leather seats, duced the La Femme, a pink manufacturers are responding bags, extra storage is useful for Subramanian, a media pro- a softer ride than the traditional rough truck drive, car with cosmetic cabinets built to their requirements. Beyond everything. Like I use the back fessional. additional air bags, and even rectangular cup holders into the seats. While only 50 the vehicle itself, we also asked of my Ford Ikon to carry my sitar Adjustable seat was another to accommodate juice boxes. The result, soft off- Ladies Models were sold, the women what they expect from to my class every Saturday. I feature which won repeated roaders like the successful Ford F-Series and the La Femme didn’t do too well automakers so that the buying wouldn’t have been able to do appreciation. As in the case of Chevrolet Silverado. either. That’s probably because of a car can be a pleasant ex- that with the Hyundai Santro I Mamatha, who owns a most customers were men perience. had earlier,” says Shylaja Raj, Hyundai Getz, and feels that it APRIL 2008 WheelsUnplugged 3 COVER STORY was the best choice for both of them because, “My husband is 6’4” and I am 5’3”. We needed Women on a car that both of us would be comfortable in and the Getz, Two Wheels with its adjustable seats, was perfect.” India has nearly as many women on two wheels Safety features are also a as men. In the ‘80s, the ‘female’ bikes were crucial factor for women car mostly mopeds - the TVS 50 and the Luna. The buyers. “I learned driving rather more enterprising women even tried the Bajaj late and I am still nervous when Chetaks and LML Vespas. The ‘90s brought a I have to drive back home after revolution of sorts with the first Kinetic and, dark,” says Jyoti, a bank soon, the rest of the bike manufacturers dis- employee who has recently covered the latent potential for gearless bought a car. “Most of the time, scooters. it’s my husband who drives. But Ajinkya Firodia, senior vice president, sales and when I have to, I always use the marketing, at the Kinetic Motor Company says, central locking system. Plus, I am “Between 99-100 per cent of motorcycle buyers a relatively new driver, so I like to The wheels that make Indian women happy are men. There are many reasons why bikes know that our Honda City has are just not suitable for women riders. For airbags, which will protect us in example, the horizontal petrol tank in the front case of an accident.” want checked or corrected,” the away across town. cup holders and boot space, and makes it impossible for a woman to sit in a rider Ease of cleaning came a close says Mamatha. “Thankfully, the ergonomics that adjust to ease position if she is wearing a dress, skirt or a sari. fourth in this survey. Uma, Shylaja Hyundai people even remind me VALUE-ADDITIONS... AND of driving. Other factors that play However, gearless scooters can be, and are, and Madhuri Bhat, a marketing when my car is due for servicing A WISHLIST an important role are overall aes- ridden by men as well as women. Pretty much professional from Mumbai, all and they come and pick it up. Other features that women thetics and quality of materials, 100 per cent of women riders use gearless vote for faux leather. “There are With my husband away most wanted were in the realm of great along with safety features like scooters; nearly 100 per cent bikes are ridden ink spills from my son’s school of the time, that is one thing I value additions: a good music child locks and seatbelts that take by men but there are male buyers of gearless bag, sometimes vegetable stains really appreciate.” system with iPod connectivity, into consideration the family unit, scooters also. My estimate is that, currently, or even mud in the rains… and Similarly, Seema, who owns a tubeless tyres, power windows, ease of driving and parking, good the gearless scooter market (overall) is split as washing off regular upholstery WagonR and is a website content central locking, and a utility space all-round visibility and cost of 60 per cent female and 40 per cent male.” fabric is really painful. So the first manager, says that since the time for small knickknacks… maintenance and ownership,” It isn’t just the ease of riding, it’s the addition- opportunity I got, I changed my Maruti has introduced a separate In their wishlist, “Rear parking explains Balendran. al features of gearless scooters that attract the seats to leather. You get these servicing board for women, she sensors, pleeease,” came from While this is a start in recog- women.