Girls Night Out at the New York Auto Show Is a Great Place to See Your Power At Work
I’ll confess: I’m not a Hallmark Holiday kind of girl. I am bad at remembering dates; I am more sentimental about important moments in life than the dates on which they occurred, and find the whole calendar of “celebration days” to be overwhelming.
Celebrating women in the automotive space is a year-round endeavor in our world. We do this daily, weekly, monthly. We LOVE sharing stories about women who are changing the auto world from the inside. We even have a podcast about it!
However, Women’s History Month is one I should probably not overlook when it comes to cars. Women have had a huge but often unseen impact on automotive since its start; women continue to impact the science and business of automotive in a major way, and women are the major buyers of cars.
Just to refresh, we buy 65% of all cars and influence the purchase of another 20%. That’s a lot of financial firepower and a lot of cars.
Related: I Wish I Had This When I Shopped for My Car: Exclusive New York Auto Show Tours
Women’s Impact on Automotive is On Display at the Auto Show
The auto show is more than just a great place to shop for a car — though it’s a great place to shop for a car. It’s where you’ll see female power in the auto industry clearly on display. This is one of the things I truly love when I go to an auto show.
As you tour your local car show this year, here are some things you should stop and look at: the hidden stories and those that are very clear, that show how much impact women have on the auto industry.
Here are just a few you’ll see very clearly.
Related: Electrify Expo Is the Electric Car Shopping Festival You Need
Buh-bye to the “Booth Babe” Era
If you attended car shows in the ’70s and ‘80s, you might remember scantily clad women standing next to the cars. Those days are gone, thankfully, and the credit goes to Margery Krevsky Dosey, founder of Productions Plus. Across all auto shows, you’ll see professionally dressed, on-brand product specialists, more women than men, who are knowledgeable about the cars on display and ready to answer your questions. She proved to automakers that smart, approachable people who could answer questions would actually send potential buyers to dealerships.
Imagine that: Smart people are better at selling a product than a demeaned, objectified woman.
Related: Meet 40 of the Most Badass Women: Ladies-Only Ford Bronco Off-Roadeo
The Impact of DEI
This is more of a behind-the-scenes story, but as you look around, especially at General Motors displays—Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC—you’ll see how the roots of diversity, equity, and inclusion have blossomed. From GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, to the legions of women and people of color who make up the company’s 160K employees, DEI has been a cornerstone of this company’s operations and success.
And the results show it. GM, which is #25 on the Fortune 500, commands 18% of the US car market and generated more than $178 billion in global sales last year. That’s quite the case for DEI.
Female Engineers are Designing the Most Popular Cars and Trucks
Take a look at Ford and relish this news: The chief engineers of the Ford F150 Lighting, the Mustang Mach E, the Ford Bronco, and the Mustang Dark Horse are all women.
These vehicles represent a huge number of Ford sales, are driving customers’ passions, and are setting new standards for the industry.
The Best and Brightest Women Are Plotting the Path Forward
Hyundai has had some exciting announcements recently: You’ll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon; you’ll be able to pay for parking and other things through the multimedia system; Hyundai’s electric car portfolio, which has some of the fastest charging, most reliable and furthest driving EVs — is developing quickly. To accomplish this, the company had to hire some incredibly talented people. Olabisi Boyle is indicative of this effort; Hyundai was able to lure her from Visa, where she ran mobile payment systems.
The company was also able to lure Claudia Marquez from Nissan and, before that, Infiniti, to lead Genesis. The highest-ranking Latina executive in the US, Claudia oversees an exciting collection of some of the most beautiful and innovative cars on the market. She is building a dealership network from the ground up.
Lexus Has YOU to Thank
I love this story: when Lexus rolled out the first RX SUV, women flocked to its dealers to buy one. It struck a huge chord: An SUV with great ground clearance and visibility, a comfortable car-like ride, the luxury of Lexus, and the reliability of Toyota. Fast forward to 2024 and thanks to its female customers, the company is bringing more SUVs to the market — the redesigned GX with a real 3rd row, the brand new 7 or 8 passenger TX, and new versions of the RX and NX. Check out the company’s designs and know they were designed with you in mind.
Subaru Loves You
Subaru has long recognized the importance of its female owners. Sensible women love the fact that these cars are reliable and capable and give us the muscle to do what we need to do. The company recognizes what we do in and with our Subarus: we visit our National Parks, get outdoors, and spend time with those we love most — including our pets. To show they really understand us, you’ll see a novel approach to Subaru’s exhibit, focusing on the outdoors, adventure, and, yes, puppies.
Minivans Are Cool
When you have four kids, a carpool to manage or a family that loves to road trip, a minivan is cool. WAY cool. In fact, they are now so cool that there are some that have a waiting list: it takes months to get a Toyota Sienna, popular for its all-wheel drive and hybrid fuel economy. The Honda Odyssey, with sliding center row seats and a removable middle seat, as well as interior cameras so you can see those angles fighting, er, sleeping, in their car seats, also has a waitlist.
The Kia Caravan has been redesigned with more features and technology, and Volkswagen is coming back to the world of the 7-passenger van with sliding doors. This time, though, it’s with the all-electric ID Buzz, which is sure to add a huge wallop of whimsy and fun to your daily commute.
Women Buying SUVs Changed Everything
You know this. I know this. Finally, everyone else accepted the fact: women like SUVs. Now, there are more choices than ever: small SUVs, large SUVs, electric, hybrid, turbo, even diesel SUVs. SUVs make up more than half of all passenger vehicle sales, with cars only comprising 20 percent (vans and trucks make up the rest).
The tipping point came about a decade ago when SUV and crossover sales started to surpass sedan sales, and it hasn’t stopped. We’re even seeing popular sedans becoming SUV-ified (looking at you Toyota Corolla Cross!) and some companies abandoning sedans altogether — with a few sports car or EV exceptions (hello, Ford).
But really, why should the auto industry build cars you don’t want?
Did Someone Mention Girls Night Out?
Glad you asked! Yes! On Saturday night, March 30th, I’ll be leading Girls Night Out at the New York Auto Show. Tickets can be purchased here and it’ll be a night to remember: special access to locked cars including prototypes; “photo booth” fun in some of the cars on display, and special surprises. Follow @AGirlsGuide2Cars on Instagram as things develop, and get your tickets now.
And if you can’t make the New York Auto Show event, grab a few friends and visit your local auto show this winter. And marvel at the power you have on this market and the impact you’ve made. And then take a celebratory selfie. You deserve it!
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