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Luxury Carmakers Woo Women
More women are buying ultra-luxury cars than ever before. Here's a look at some reasons why and one way that Bentley is courting female buyers.
Bentley chief engineer Ulrich Eichhorn says that Bentley sought women’s input when designing the Continental GT, introduced in 2004. “It was in the original design brief that the GT should not only appeal to male customers of a certain age. The car had to pick up Bentley’s heritage and take it into the future. It had to be appealing to men and women of a certain age,” he says. Eichhorn didn't specify any one thing that was done to the Continental GT in order to appeal to women, but stressed that the company used hands-on feedback about the car's touch points and ergonomics from employees and customers of both genders.
As high-performance exotic cars become more luxurious and comfortable, the people who buy them are no longer strictly hardcore auto enthusiasts. “The advent of the Bentley Continental GTC convertible is an example of how companies making exotic cars are producing more female-friendly models that are more attractive to people who aren’t such gearheads,” says Tom Dupont, publisher of the Dupont Registry. “In the Rolls-Royce and Bentley sector, we have more features to add to the comfort and ease of driving. I think it’s become a much more important part of the marketplace.”
But, as one would expect, female buyers of exotic cars are varied and include hardcore speed junkies, in addition to those who favor plusher rides. Marlene Balabanian, a Pasadena chiropractor and mother of two, who is at the Bentley/Ojai event, drives her Porsche 911 on the weekends for fun. “This is my favorite car to drive when my husband and I want to go out,” she says. “It makes us feel young. It’s when I wear the most expensive dress, the most expensive purse and the car is the most important luxury.” Aesthetics and exclusivity aside, Balabanian enjoys the car’s performance. “For the most part I like the pick-up,” she says.
Fellow Ojai attendee Wong is also a speed junkie. She bought her first exotic car in 1997 — a Ferrari F355 Spyder. “That was my dream to own a red Ferrari with a tan interior,” she says in a wistful tone. She typically holds onto cars for at least 18 months, but never more than three years. Wong has owned a Bentley Arnage, Bentley Azure, Lamborghini Diablo and a modified Mercedes-Benz S500 stretch limousine. Her fiancé hunts for her cars in magazines, but Wong makes purchase decisions. “I’ve never test-driven a car. I don’t want people to think I’m window shopping. If you got it, I’ll take it,” Wong says. “I feel weird driving other people’s cars.”
During the spa weekend, owners and their mothers, sisters and friends test out new Bentley models on a 30-mile road course. The fleet of Bentleys creates a stir among Ojai golfers. Between trips to the apothecary to create custom fragrances, the women talk shop.
“I’m driving a luxury car,” Balabanian says over dinner. “At the dealer, I don’t want to be treated like this is a sandwich stand.” The auto industry’s dealer relations and service as a whole are widely regarded as sexist and unfriendly toward female buyers. Author Barletta has consulted with major auto manufacturers in the U.S. over the past few years to help their dealer networks better appeal to women. She wouldn’t go on record about some of the problems she saw, but suffice to say that more than one automaker had lots of ground to make up in how they treat female buyers.
Publisher Dupont agrees. “Dealerships have been redone and are more customer oriented,” he says. “It’s a more comfortable and relaxing atmosphere than it once was.”
Bentley CEO Stuart says efforts are underway to make Bentley dealerships friendlier to all customers, with a recent focus on women. “You deal with one person through entire experience,” he says. Efforts also include hiring more women in “key positions,” Stuart says.
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