Car maker gender: which cars are more masculine or feminine?

@Salento:
The Subaru are out of Brazil. The name not help much. Subaru reminds “Suruba” that in vulgar Brazilian Portuguese means bacchanal, LOL.

Options in the market are many.
Americans: Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Jeep.
Germans: VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche.
British: Land-Rover, Jaguar, Cooper.
Italians: FIAT, Ferrari, Alfa-Romeo, Lamborghini.
French: Peugeot, Citröen, Renault.
Japanese: Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Lexus, Suzuki.
Chinese: JAC, Chevy, Lifan.
Korean: Hyundai, Kia.
Sweden: Volvo.
Spain: SEAT.
Various models for all tastes.
The Chinese, although new in the market, have a very aggressive political of prices. Low prices and 5 years of guarantee. If they gain the consumer confidence, which is still suspicious of the quality of Chinese cars, they will become unbeatable.
All Hyundai, Kia, JAC, Chevy and Lifan models are produced under license by the Brazilian automaker CAOA in his factories, which also, under license, produces all models of FORD trucks in Brazil.
The others are produced in Brazil by the factories of the respective automakers in the country, which also import to Brazil some models from the countries of origin.
The Chinese are taking advantage of CAOA's expertise and distribution network in Brazil to try to win consumer confidence.
I personally prefer cars produced by Honda and Toyota, and I only buy cars manufactured by these two automakers.

Good Night and cheers to all :)

I don’t remember the last time I saw a French car in the United States (I don’t think I ever did)

I wonder why!
 
I don’t remember the last time I saw a French car in the United States (I don’t think I ever did)

I wonder why!

Currently, PSA Peugeot Citroen manufactures the Peugeot 208 and Peugeot 2008 models in Porto Real in State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as its brothers Citroën C3 and Citroen Aircross. This is the current car of my son, the Peugeot 3008. It’s beautiful:

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In the past, if I may, feminine was defined by how the body contours of the car matched those of a woman. Thus a Jaguar XKE was feminine because its quarter panels mimicked the curve of a woman's breasts and posterior. I hope no one thinks that's sexist . . .

The sharp creases in current Japanese designs seem to negate femininity by obliterating the curve.

The fascias of the most current Toyota SUVs, Highlander and RAV4, actually seem to scowl at you, exhibiting some kind of not very well hidden anger. That seems to be on the macho end of the spectrum.

BMWs scowl as well, though less comically. With them its the headlights which appear hooded, and somewhat ominous (my wife has an M3, very ominous, and very loud).

I agree that Audi is masculine, but more in the way the design looks, to me at least, like a Brooks Brothers suit. Well tailored, not ostentatious.

Is there anything currently around which has those more "feminine" lines? I don't like the RAV4 look at all.

Not offended at all, for what it's worth, but then I'm not that kind of "feminist". :) You have a very poetic way of expressing yourself.
 
Is there anything currently around which has those more "feminine" lines? I don't like the RAV4 look at all.

Not offended at all, for what it's worth, but then I'm not that kind of "feminist". :) You have a very poetic way of expressing yourself.

Stop, you'll make me blush . . .

As far as why there are no more feminine lines in auto designs, per what I tried to say above, somehow we consumers changed. What we used to accept as simply beautiful (the XKE) is now rejected as not masculine enough. The circa 2000 Jaguar sold poorly as did the Mazda MX-6 because they looked like chick-cars. Apparently women are willing to buy masculine cars but men won't buy the feminine. Maybe modern men have issues with their own masculinity . . .

I am personally put-off by what I think of as the faux macho look of the RAV4; all hard creases and scowling face. It's comical because the RAV4 is really just a family station wagon with a lift kit. BTW, I own a 2011 RAV4, the previous variant, and I have no problem with family station wagons (but then my wife lets me drive her M3).
 
I don’t remember the last time I saw a French car in the United States (I don’t think I ever did)

I wonder why!

The French burned a lot of bridges (is that the right metaphor?) with the truly awful cars they exported to the US during the early VW Bug craze. The Renault Dauphine is a prime example. Those kind of cars did not survive contact with American highways. The French automakers have never really tried to come back.
 
Absolutely not.

This is Peugeot (aggressive, masculine look, popular with the armed forces in Belgium and France).

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Now here are the rounded, feminine Renaults and Citröen:

Renault Zoe

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Renault Clio

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Citroën C1
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Citroën C3

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That's a vintage car. Never seen it. Not sold anymore. So irrelevant for this thread. Modern Lancia look like this (the Ypsillon is the only one that is still sold):


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Your comment is inconsistent. In the OP, there is nothing stating that it refers to current cars, you speak about brands, and brands are not only current cars, but also old cars. In fact, I would say the most content of a brand is the old cars, not the new ones.

I see you have added this as an edit. By the edit is later than my post. So, criticizing me for doing something that was perfectly included in the original post, is absurd. In addition to this, we all have time restrictions, and criticizing people for using their time to contribute positively to a post is somewhat surreal.
 
Your comment is inconsistent. In the OP, there is nothing stating that it refers to current cars, you speak about brands, and brands are not only current cars, but also old cars. In fact, I would say the most content of a brand is the old cars, not the new ones.

I see you have added this as an edit. By the edit is later than my post. So, criticizing me for doing something that was perfectly included in the original post, is absurd. In addition to this, we all have time restrictions, and criticizing people for using their time to contribute positively to a post is somewhat surreal.

Regarding your comment about French cars all being the same, I could give you examples of older models that are just as divergent.

As for your mention of the Lancia Delta Integrale, I don't understand why you brought it up at all since this kind of car cannot drive in most European cities anymore due to the low-emission zone (LEZ) regulations. In Belgium diesel cars that are not at least Euro 4 compliant (meaning made from 2005 onwards) cannot enter big cities anymore. From 2022 it will be Euro 5 (cars made from 2009). In other words most cars on the road in the country at less than 15 years old as hardly anybody who has a car decide never to enter cities (almost all Belgium is within one hour drive from Brussels). I don't know where you live in Catalonia, but Barcelona also has a minimum of Euro 4 for diesel cars and Euro 3 for petrol cars.

It is difficult enough to assess if a whole brand is more feminine or masculine using only current cars. It would be madness to try to include all the car models that have ever existed (not to mention completely irrelevant to most people). It's true that I did not explicitly mention it in the OP originally, but that there things that are tacitly implied because it just makes sense. When someone ask what is the best city to live in or which country has the strongest economy, it is normally unnecessary to mention that we are talking about the current situation, not 30 and 100 years ago!
 
Agree, also masculine are alfa-romeo and ferrari.....while fiats are fem..
Vw are fem.
Porcshe, bmw are man.
Volvo are fem
Skoda are man
Toyota and most others japanese vehicles are gender neutral
I say that the Giulia is a Girl.

Alfa Romeo agrees (I think), That's why she has a female name.
iris
 
I say that the Giulia is a Girl.

Alfa Romeo agrees (I think), That's why she has a female name.
iris

my first car

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_105/115_Series_Coupés

Alfa-Romeo GTV 1750 ........................a male or female ?

white colour

real timber finish inside including the steering wheel

...................................................

my best car to drive when I was young.................zippy, smooth, comfortable

Lancia Beta
2000 1975-84 I4 DOHC 1995 cc119 PS (88 kW; 117 hp)
 
I say that the Giulia is a Girl.

Alfa Romeo agrees (I think), That's why she has a female name.
iris

Now that, I think, is beautiful. :)

I used to like Porsches because they had what is perhaps, by these definitions, more "feminine" lines, but no more; they're like all the rest.

Which current cars available widely in America have lines like this?
 
They sell the Giulia in the US, the AWD sedan too.

... from about $ 38.000 / 45.000 and up.
 
I have to admit being disappointed that no one wanted to talk about why a particular car might be seen as male or female. Is there a feature that makes you think that way, or is it performance, or is it function? My take is that there are at least four categories of cars, male, female, infant and none of the above.

My example of the infant is the Fiat 500. It has the large, open eyes (headlights) of a small child. The car looks, somehow, quietly inquisitive, but not judging, perhaps even in awe of what it sees. The line of the grill is straight and thin, like a somber child, just looking at you blandly. The small curves of the body and the tiny wheels reinforce its unthreatening nature. And yes, it's cute. A lot of Japanese vehicles (at least in the home market) are infants.
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I've said before that I think the female aspect of a car is in the curve of its fenders, like the breasts and posterior of a woman, i.e. Jaguar XKE. However, if that was the case the Porsche Turbo would be female . . . it's got some big hips! But in this case I think the performance aspect makes it more male (as unfair as that proposition is to women).
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I think that function also plays a part in defining the gender of a vehicle, again with a cultural overtone. That is, a mini-van normally gets tagged as female because its function is to haul around a passel of children. That is, after all, why the SUV became popular; it will haul around a passel of kids yet looks like a backwoods busting, rough-road driving he-man of a vehicle.
 
Excellent analysis. I can't disagree with any of it, and there's not much I can add.

I never thought of SUVs in that way, but you're right, and that might be part of the reason for their huge share of the market, along with the fact that people feel safer in them. I've heard women say that more than men, and I don't think it's just their bigger size and sturdier look. Women tell me they like being "higher" in comparison to the road and a lot of other cars.

As I said before, I think they're ugly, nor do I need them in my pretty moderate climate, suburban world, so I was done with SUVs once the "kids" left home. However, we still have my husband's SUV for carting big things around. If I were alone, I'd have to reconsider again.

As beautiful as cars like the Lamborghinis etc. look, I have no desire to drive at really fast speeds, so it was a strictly aesthetic judgment. I would never, ever buy one.
 
Exotics are, of course, not practical (why would they be?). I remember a Top Gear show where, after filming a Ferrari, Lambo and McLaren in the Louvre courtyard, to avoid scraping off the cars' low-hanging front bumpers, the team had to build ramps to get the cars out on to the street. My wife's BMW M3 has a similar problem and we avoid certain parking lots due to their steep entry/exits. My SUV does not share this problem (we also bought ours for large loads).
 
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What about new Tesla cybertruck?
In a style for children?

I somehow like it, though there is really little sophistication in terms of form.
 
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What about new Tesla cybertruck?
In a style for children?

I somehow like it, though there is really little sophistication in terms of form.

Dagne, we're going to have to agree to disagree. :)

I think it's hideous. Not male like or female like or child like. Maybe "alien like" or "machine like"? :)
 
I wish I could see this cybertruck on a read road, among other cars. i suppose against a background of things when the space is filled with colours and forms, its simplicity might have something appealing. But yes, I agree, that by itself it is not the most attractive car, it is more of a kind of provocation to our sense of easthetics...

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I think the Tesla truck may be another category, the cartoon vehicle. You might imagine drawing it (if you drew badly), but seeing it in real life seems absurd.

I remember the first time I saw a Chrysler 300, its massive, over-muscled body topped by a tiny, squashed roof/windows, looked like something out of a Batman movie, not a real car. The sports car that Dodge built for a while, the Viper, would be in the same category; a wild fantasy rather than a real car.
 
Not a brand, but a manly characteristic in a car: manual transmission. Of course, many men drive automatic transmissions. Maybe myself, one day I will be forced to drive one. But a manual transmission is one of those irrational things that connect men to a car.
 

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