Busting the myth of the Mazda MX-5 Miata as a chick-car
The Mazda Miata has a reputation on-line and off as a “girl’s car.” Even some auto writers make this statement assuming that because they think it is true, it is. But is it? Not according to Mazda. We reached out to Mazda directly and simply asked “What percentage of Miata owners are men?” The answer is 66%, dramatically higher than the average for automobiles overall, which a variety of sources say is within single digits of 50-50.
Two-thirds of Miata’s Bought By Men
If fully two thirds of Miata owners are men, then why does this popular track car have the reputation as a “woman’s car?” One reason I come up with is that men dominate auto writing, and they overwhelmingly are muscle car, and super car enthusiasts, which are actually bought in a higher percentage by men. A recent comment under one of our stories piqued our interest in this topic. Auto Motive writes “As I have stated in many articles concerning the Miata, it is a car gravitating to the women consumer. Most men wouldn't be caught dead in one.”
I must be different than most men because I take every opportunity I can get to drive the Miata and owned a Gen3 for many years. At press events where automakers bring a variety of cars, the Miata is often one of the most popular cars and difficult to get seat time in.
Just as a point of reference, more men buy the Mazda Miata than the Mazda6, which has 60% male buyers according to Mazda. Who knew Mazda was such a macho brand?
Who Buys Other Types Of Cars
We cover the Lexus IS and RC line very closely here at Torque News. Lexus says that the new Lexus IS, which is a smashing success for the company, is trending more male. Now the company says, 56% of Lexus IS sedan buyers are men, which is up from prior years. The muscular RC 350 and RC F are expected to follow the same demographic trend. This means that Miata owners are 10% more male than this very popular line of modern Lexus sports sedans and coupes.
What Are the Top Cars For Female Buyers?
According to a study by TrueCar in 2010 (well into the Miata’s third generation,) the Miata does not even make the top 10 cars purchased by females as a percentage of overall ownership. Those female favorites include the Volkswagen New Beetle, Kia Spectra, Nissan Rogue, Volkswagen Eos, Hyundai Entourage, Volvo S40, Jeep Compass, Honda CR-V, Nissan Sentra, and Hyundai Tucson.
Call the Miata what you like, but the fact remains that it is one of the most raced automobiles in the world and has been for decades. If you think that "real men" only buy big trucks and showy muscle cars there is a stereotype about the men that drive those types of vehicles we can whisper to you that is not really appropriate for a family publication. We think you have probably heard it, and no, TrueCar does not have any study on that.
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Mazda confirms 2016 Miata engine, most get it wrong
Facts vs. fiction on the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Main story image courtesy of Mazdamotorsports.com