The face of the automotive industry is changing. It’s no longer the “good ol’ boys” club, and at any event attended for any major car maker you’re starting to see an influx in women in the room. Long gone are the days where suits dominated the space. And it’s about time, to be frank. Women make 85% of the purchasing decisions across the board, and when it comes to buying a car still hold the majority of the deciding power when it comes to the family vehicle.
The social demographics are switching and the surge of women who not only want a cute car, but one with power under the hood (and know what it does) is growing daily. It’s because of this shift that the second annual What Drives Her panel was held last week at the Chicago Auto Show. The panel was made up women in high positions from the Steel Market Development Institute, Ford, Facebook and Cars.com while moderated by Scotty Reiss from A Girl’s Guide Guide Cars. The panelists shared their journey within the car industry and some of the struggles they faced as well as some that they still face.
As women we look at cars differently then men do, and there is nothing wrong with that. Yes, we have gear heads in our rank but the deciding factors on why we buy a car are a lot different than when a man buys a car. Safety is still a huge deciding factor, storage and of course style. Your car is more than just transportation and it is one of the largest accessories you will ever buy. Do you have a love or passion for cars? There is a lot to learn from the What Drives Her panel from CAS, and you can watch the whole discussion below. The face of automotive is changing and more women are entering the field in different capacities every day.
Watch the whole panel here:
About What Drives Her:
The Chicago Auto Show has teamed up with A Girls Guide to Cars and Women in Automotive to host the second annual “What Drives Her at the Chicago Auto Show”industry networking event and panel discussion during the 2018 Chicago Auto Show Media Preview on Friday, Feb. 9. The mission of the event is to celebrate and honor females with leadership roles in the automotive industry. Guests will hear from a variety of speakers within the industry to gather a fresh perspective surrounding this important topic.