I found this post ( http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050914/lawfns2.html?.v=1) on Volvo presenting it’s first ever car designed by women. My first thought was ‘At last! Someone’s done it’, but as I read through the article I couldn’t shake a nagging thought.
We all know that we’re moving into the ‘age of women’ – from our natural abilities which align themselves to the connection economy, to the fact that we make/influence a huge percentage of purchases, to the fact that most small businesses are being started by women… The list keeps growing. And so on the surface it seems that Volvo is finally getting with the programme and catering to its largest target market.
But then a warning light. ‘Because it’s a concept car, there is no assurance the car will ultimately be mass-produced for retail. Nevertheless, Volvo expects many of its ideas will find their way into future cars’.
This tells me that perhaps Volvo have no intention of designing cars specifically for women’s needs (for whatever reason), but want to be seen in that light. They want women to make the link between Volvo’s release of their concept car with ‘Volvo cares for women’. And so grow their female market? To me is just seems like another boy ploy! Maybe that’s not the case, but as a woman, I feel that Volvo is maybe not that committed to catering to me but to making me believe that they are.
Don’t tell me how much you’re listening to me (focus groups, women-only sites…) and how important my needs are to you (carefully worded press releases, window-dressing female project teams…) . SHOW ME! (in the cost-effective products you actually bring to market which speak directly to me and my specific needs).
If I’m just being neurotic or feminoid, let me know.
Volvo Concept car – for women?
Hi Anj, I noticed that the article stipulated ” by women, for everyone”. I think the real “win” here is that an almost exclusively all female team collaborated on designing this car. For me, the issue is not whether this car goes into production (maybe it turns out that it’s not cost-effective?). I think what this signals is that times are changing. (But change doesn’t happen overnight.) The fact that Volvo actually gave time, money and woman-power to this project is an indication that they do take women seriously.
Perhaps Volvo aren’t designing for women only – but what’s wrong with that? I’m sure that men and women do have a different “wish list” when it comes to the nice-to-have’s about a motor vehicle. But I would rather Volvo (or any car manufacturer) focus on things like safetly, reliability, durability and environment-friendly features. To me, those things should transend what sex is driving. I think that point is – Volvo aren’t designing exclusively for men anymore.
Hi Simone. I think that maybe I am a bit impatient. And while I agree that things like safety, reliability, durability and environmentally friendly features are important – I still feel that there are so many features which I would love to see in a car which cater for my needs. I use my car to fetch and carry children from school and extra-murals as well as clocking up the mileage driving to see my clients. And there are so many things which I feel is lacking in the design.
I would love a safe place to put my handbag instead of on the seat (not safe) or on the floor (not accessible).
I would love space to keep all of the stuff which kids accumulate such as tissues, sweet papers, empty drinks bottles, bits of uneaten sandwiches – instead of cramming it into a plastic packet which then rolls around on the floor.
The list is endless and I won’t bore you.
But yes, I agree that it is a positive move in the right direction by Volvo and I guess that time will reveal how serious they are in not making men their exclusive focus.
And maybe I need to learn some patience as well! 🙂
Hi Simone
I recently bought the Renault Grand Scenic. Apparently it was designed by a woman (must have been a mother) and I can only assume it was when you see how many extras it has! It is incredibly safe, reliable and very economical (especially the Diesel). It has 2 drawers under the front seats (ideal for handbags and mapbooks) and cupboards in all the floorboards that I still haven’t managed to fill(even with my First Aid kit, Q20, torch and jump leads)! Not to mention the drink/food trays, built in window shades and an extra rear view mirror! It has 7 seats, with the rear 2 being very easy to lower into the boot for when you need extra boot space. The front airbags can be deactivated for when you need to put a child in the front seat and the lights and wipers come on automatically! I am a convert and it’s not like I’ve upgraded from a small manual car with none of these features, I used to drive a luxury 4×4! It’s not as big as the Voyager, but I love the fact that it has 7 seats yet still feels like a compact car. As a Mom’s Taxi, you can’t get better! Try it…
Just had a thought ladies – image how amazing it would have been if the Grand Scenic had been design by a man … for women! 🙂 So the good news is … that there are cars going into production that are more “female friendly”. I particularly like the cupboards in the floor boards – finally somewhere to store the stuff that’s spilling out of the cubby-hole!
Seeing that we’re on this topic – something that needs a serious ‘female’ overhaul are our local supermarkets. Especially the large chains who insist on unpacking stock on a saturday month-end morning and litter the areas in front of the tills (queuing area) with boxes of ‘stuff’ they’ve marked down and want us to buy.
Actually, the more I think about this – the longer the list grows…..
That’s why online shopping is the answer. Admittedly, I still need to go for fresh produce once or twice a week, but at least it means I don’t have to contend with the rest of the world trying to do their monthly shop for all those household cleaning goods, godfood and charcoal! At R55 a shop, I’d say it’s money well spent.
How can a car cater to women’s needs? How are our needs any different than a man’s in terms of a vehicle? Everyone, regardless of gender, has their own needs when it comes to vehicle. In fact, the idea of a car made specifically for women is almost insulting. I drive a 1990 Volvo. Was it made for a woman? No. It was made for a consumer. A driver. Someone who needed a freakin’ car.
There’s a huge problem with that concept unless they operate differently to normal – the gull wing doors. On a car for women?
Like it or not women tend to do the weekly shop more than men (no I’m not being sexist) and supermarket car parks are not big enough as it is. I own a Volvo C70 coupe, which being a coupe means it has long doors. Getting in and out in a car park is not an easy proposition but at least you can semi open the door and squeeze in sideways and horizontally. How can someone get in and out with gull-wings in that situation???? If you park up you will not be able to get out because the door will only be able to be raised a few inches. If you’re already parled and someone parks at the side of you when yo’re at the shops you’ll have no chance of getting back in your car.
Unless this car is always giong to be parked in extra wide ‘mother and baby’ bays, or it has some special door mechanism it is almost entirely useless.