Auto shows do more for women, but lean toward guys

0

DETROIT (AP) — Women now buy nearly half the new cars in
the U.S., a sharp increase compared with a generation ago, and the auto
industry is trying to demonstrate that it’s keeping up with the times
when it showcases the latest models to the public.
Auto shows now offer cooking demonstrations, private tours and an increasing number of male models to
appeal to female visitors.
But
that hardly means the industry has shelved a staple of nearly 100 years
of auto shows: having female models preening beside the latest sports
car or SUV.
The shows, which are run by dealers, say they’re
trying to attract more women with events like fashion shows. The North
American International Auto Show in Detroit doesn’t keep track of
visitors by gender, but the New York International Auto Show says 40
percent of its 1 million visitors in 2013 were women, up from 29 percent
two years before. Spokesman Chris Sams said the show made a point of
reaching out to women, using more females in its ads and hosting special
parties and tours. It even held a contest to find the best place to
store a purse in a car.
But contrast that with the scene at media
previews for this year’s Detroit auto show, which opens to the public
Saturday. General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra, who just this week became the
first female head of a major automaker, walked the floor in a
conservative black suit past Corvette models in skimpy dresses and
leather jackets. Young women in towering heels handed out breath mints
around the corner from plunging necklines at Infiniti.
"Face it.
Automotive is a men’s industry and it’s always a novelty to be among the
women who are there," said Brandy Schaffels, the editor of
AskPatty.com, an automotive site for women.
But as females gain
more income and buying power — not to mention corner offices —
automakers may have to rethink using the short skirt to grab attention.
Some
automakers have already done away with models altogether. At Honda’s
stand in Detroit, the focus was on the brand’s new Fit subcompact and a
futuristic fuel-cell car called the FCEV. The company says it tries to
appeal to the broadest range of customers at its show stands.
Across
the way, Ford set up a sample assembly line in its exhibit, which is
staffed by both men and women. Ford’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark
Fields, said women and younger buyers, in particular, come to auto shows
to get educated.
Fields said Ford no longer uses scantily-clad
female models like it did 15 years ago. The company’s data shows that
women buy 41 to 42 percent of new cars each year, up from 20 percent in
1980. Among buyers 30 and younger, women account for 56 percent of new
car purchases.
"That’s how we make sure auto shows stay relevant," Fields said.
But
there are still plenty of theatrics at the Detroit show, which is
expecting more than 800,000 visitors this week. Over at Dodge, models in
tight white dresses and shiny go-go boots strike poses in front of an
orange Challenger muscle car.
Bo Puffer, who hires the models that the Chrysler Group uses at its 71 U.S. auto shows, is unapologetic.

"A
good-looking person next to a good-looking car is a formula that’s
going to work for us no matter what brand it is," Puffer said.
Puffer
matches models to each brand. For example, Fiat places younger
presenters, near its cars because it’s trying to attract younger buyers.
The Ram pickup has male presenters. Eighty percent of Puffer’s hires
are female, he says, but that’s partly because more women try out for
the jobs. Those who are hired spend a week learning about the brand so
they can answer visitors’ questions.
Mercedes-Benz calls the
presenters "product specialists," not models, says Donna Boland, manager
of U.S. corporate communications. Boland said the company hires all
kinds of people, including a pregnant woman who is working at the Smart
exhibit this year.
"We don’t pander to the lowest common
denominator," Boland said. "We want everybody to be able to see
themselves as a Mercedes owner."
Teckla Rhoads, GM’s director of
global industrial design, has male and female models wearing yellow
T-shirts and Converse sneakers near the youthful Chevrolet Spark, but
puts women in sexier dresses next to the Corvette.
"It’s not
gratuitous. It’s to help reinforce what that vehicle is," she said.
"That’s not to say that a 6-foot tall woman in a tight dress isn’t going
to be really attention-getting. We get that. But there’s also a spirit
of fun about it."
___
Associated Press Writer Jeff Karoub and videographers Theresa Crawford and John Mone contributed.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.

No posts to display