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

Maciamo

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I was mentioning to someone that Mini Coopers are almost always owned by (usually stylish, middle-aged) women. I looked it up online and indeed Minis are possibly the most women-oriented cars out there. That made me want to reflect about how feminine or masculine an imagine various car makers had. Impressions can vary between people, so I'd like to have your opinion. Here is how I would classify car makers, without delving into specific models as that would be too tedious and time consuming.

- Very feminine: Mini Cooper, Fiat, Lancia, Citroën, Renault, Dacia

- Slightly feminine: Volvo, Toyota, Suzuki

- Neutral: Volkswagen (+ SEAT & Skoda), Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Kia, Jaguar, Maserati, Tesla

- Slightly masculine: BMW, Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai, Chrysler, Range Rover, DS

- Very masculine: Audi, Peugeot, Ford, Jeep, Aston Martin, Lamborghini


Some makers are hard to classify as it highly depends on the model. That includes Porsche, Chevrolet, Ferrari and Alpha Romeo, which make both very feminine and very masculine cars.


EDIT: for the purpose of this thread please only take into consideration modern cars. Older cars cannot be easily compared with modern ones. For example, cars from the 1970's and 80's were very angular, which made them more masculine whatever the brand.
 
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I disagree completely with this classification.

Peugeot, Citroën and Renault are basically identical type of cars.

The Lancia Delta Integrale is probably the most masculine car ever.
 
Fun topic, Maciamo. :)

There's a big difference for me between the cars I think are beautiful and the ones I would or have bought for myself.

My favorites based on sheer aesthetics.
Lamborghini:
17-Lamborghini-Phillip-Island-March-007.jpg



A red Ferrari:
1.jpg


Porsche
maxresdefault.jpg


I don't know what it means. One of my old bosses, a car maniac who had about four restored vintage cars, told me it meant I liked brutal men. I objected to the adjective. :)

My first grown up car was an Audi.

What I drove when I was a busy mom driving a bunch of kids to sporting events was an Acura sort of like this below. I hated the look, but it was practical.
2017-Acura-MDX-SH-AWD-rear-three-quarter.jpg


Lately I've been driving an Acura TLX.
2018-Acura-TLX-Sedan-Base-4dr-Front-wheel-Drive-Sedan-Exterior-2.png


Volvos are better now, but they used to be so ugly that nothing would have induced me to buy one. I don't even know where you could buy an Aston Martin. The ones I see may be vintage; they're tiny and look like death traps.
 
My car is like this:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2005-maserati-coupe-gt/

There are many different Maseratis. I think the coupe is a very manly one, since it has the traditional distribution of weights of sports cars (front engine and rear transmission), and it is sportive, but not aggressively so. In fact, I do not think that 2-seater sports cars are very manly. In fact, they tend to be feminine, since men usually buy them to impress women. Instead, a Maserati coupe will never be bought to impress a woman. But it will be bought by a man, to enjoy driving it.

But as said, the most manly car ever is:

https://www.motor.es/noticias/lancia-delta-historia-201962722.html
 
I think it's interesting how our ideas of feminine and masculine have changed. The original Jaguar XKE was and is considered one of the most beautiful cars ever designed. It was brought back in around 2000, in a larger format, but was considered too feminine in appearance (sold poorly?) and was "uglied up" to make it more masculine.

jaguar1.jpgjaguar2.jpg

The Maxda MX-6 coupe was also considered to be too pretty, too feminine to sell well.
 
I think it's interesting how our ideas of feminine and masculine have changed. The original Jaguar XKE was and is considered one of the most beautiful cars ever designed. It was brought back in around 2000, in a larger format, but was considered too feminine in appearance (sold poorly?) and was "uglied up" to make it more masculine.

View attachment 11826View attachment 11825

The Maxda MX-6 coupe was also considered to be too pretty, too feminine to sell well.

I am talking about current models still on the road, so mostly cars from the last 10 years.
 
It's also important to take into consideration that Japanese car models vary a lot between North America, Europe and Japan. American-only models are the largest. Japan has a market for very small reactangular cars called Kei cars, which aren't found in Europe (or North America I guess) and have different car plates in Japan (yellow written in black instead of white written in green).

Toyota Pixis

800px-Toyota_Pixis_2.jpg


Honda N Box

1024px-HONDA_N_BOX_JF1_01.jpg


There are very few American cars in Europe except for Ford. GM, Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet are almost unheard of. Jeep and Chrysler are present by rare.
 
and what about the colours?
very important IMO

Of course, but that really depend on the model too. So let's keep it simple and just discuss the overall "feel" of the brand.
 
I disagree completely with this classification.

Peugeot, Citroën and Renault are basically identical type of cars.

Absolutely not.

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

peugeot_508_se_20-1.jpg



home-peugeot-5008-restyle-750x410.jpg



Now here are the rounded, feminine Renaults and Citröen:

Renault Zoe

S0-modele--renault-zoe.jpg


Renault Clio

S0-barometre-des-ventes-septembre-2019-la-clio-5-prend-enfin-les-commandes-605003.jpg



2Q==

Citroën C1
2Q==


59053a80ba0a64b590ccc29069d210d5.jpg


Citroën C3

images




The Lancia Delta Integrale is probably the most masculine car ever.

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):


lancia-ypsilon.jpg
 
Well, all anybody seems to be buying here are SUVs, and I'd classify them as "masculine" looking, I guess.

Maybe the most masculine car I can think of: Jeep Wrangler.
2019-Jeep-Wrangler-SUV-Sport-2dr-4x4-Exterior-1.png


I've been thinking about a summer retirement place in the Berkshires. If I stayed over for winter I'd consider that car or at least a Jeep Cherokee.

I don't think of femininity as diminutive necessarily, so those Peugeots don't look "feminine" to me, really.

That old classic Jaguar look is a bit feminine, I guess, or neutral? if you define graceful lines as feminine. If something currently available looked like that I'd buy it in a heartbeat when it's time to turn this one in. I was thinking about a LIncoln Continental, which my husband used to drive. I really like its lines, and it doesn't scream "male" I guess.

2017-Lincoln-Continental-lead.jpg
 
I disagree completely with this classification.

Peugeot, Citroën and Renault are basically identical type of cars.

The Lancia Delta Integrale is probably the most masculine car ever.

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
 
Volvos aren't as ugly anymore. I just looked them up. Interesting that my image of them from the past is so stuck in my mind that I've never looked into them at all.

I don't know if I'd say "feminine", but a more graceful design than they used to have, yes, although I really don't like that "boxy" front.

slider-s90-2.jpg
 
This is the car of my wife. The SUV Honda HRV. She loves it a lot. It’s a comfortable car. It has a beautiful design:

YVpOvJj.jpg

10ublvm.jpg

3OYNv3s.jpg

njU4L9o.jpg
 
Well, all anybody seems to be buying here are SUVs, and I'd classify them as "masculine" looking, I guess.

Maybe the most masculine car I can think of: Jeep Wrangler.
2019-Jeep-Wrangler-SUV-Sport-2dr-4x4-Exterior-1.png


I've been thinking about a summer retirement place in the Berkshires. If I stayed over for winter I'd consider that car or at least a Jeep Cherokee.

I don't think of femininity as diminutive necessarily, so those Peugeots don't look "feminine" to me, really.

That old classic Jaguar look is a bit feminine, I guess, or neutral? if you define graceful lines as feminine. If something currently available looked like that I'd buy it in a heartbeat when it's time to turn this one in. I was thinking about a LIncoln Continental, which my husband used to drive. I really like its lines, and it doesn't scream "male" I guess.

2017-Lincoln-Continental-lead.jpg

If you get a Jeep, don’t forget to do the Jeep Wave around other Jeeps, especially if they wave at you first.

It’s a Jeep thing. lol

5d4765fb246d7ef4cdcc5bc4e3485d57.png
 
I have the 2016 model :)

... also a fast boy ATS Caddy, and last year I sold an old Lesbian Subaru Outback. LoL

EDKpFOB.jpg

@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 :)
 
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.
 
Volvos aren't as ugly anymore.

It's interesting that Volvos, when they were ugly, were the favorite rides of college professors and social radicals. When they got pretty Volvo lost this audience, who now prefer Subarus (they're funky, you know).
 

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