Do Luxury Car Brands appease Women?

Simply Suparnaa 0

Interview

Here is Global luxury car Brand Volvo’s Director Sudeep Narayan in a candid conversation #LikeaBoss. This was recorded in the hill city of Mahabaleshwar. While Volvo recorded my story, Driving the change as a woman of substance (ahem). I thought it an opportune time to get the Global brand’s perspective on selling cars to women.

The implied positioning of car brands gives me a sense of the TG as an aggressive, classy, wealthy or at best a family MAN. I wonder though, if alienating one half of the population makes for good business sense?

Especially in the Luxury car segment we see Audi as a hot favourite particularly in North India for the ‘Jatt’ community. Popular for their new found wealth coupled with an aggresive ‘manly’ demeanor. Infact it has a new nomenclature – ‘Char Chakka gaddi’ or its symbol of 4 circles is easier to refer to than the german pronunciation. BMW implies advanced technology & speed. Unfortunately over speeding is also the number 1 cause of road fatalities in India. Invariably an over indulgence in the wee hours has led many a man sprangled behind the wheel. There was a point when I saw any black BMW and it started to ring an ominous bell. And the quintessential Mercedes a symbol of understated wealth yet parked proudly in the Garage of the succesful NRI. An Indian (read man) who has made wealth overseas is synonymous to driving the Mercedes. Period! I’ve closely known a man who proudly drove an automatic, left hand drive, imported from Germany- Mercedes, in the early 90’s. And reveled in the glances which he thought he got from women around while driving it (eyes roll).

Any how, this was my chance to ask Sudeep on why luxury cars do not even try to appeal to women?

Psst and if you want to watch my story as captured while driving XC90 and published by AutoCar India, Click here.