Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: |
What carmakers often mean when they say a car is well-designed is that it appeals to men, particularly to their less noble instinct. "Beautiful body she must move like a dream." But auto-macho is going out of style. In America, 47% of new private cars are bought by women, up from 35% in 1989. Add in the influence women have on a family's car-buying and it is probable that women are more influential overall in choosing cars than men. So, carmakers are learning to create designs that appeal to them. |
Women tend to buy cheaper cars, largely because working women tend to have lower income. In America, they buy 55% of the small cars, 44% of medium sized ones, but only 28% of large and luxurious models. They put more store on reliability than men do, probably a hidden reason for the rise in Japanese imports. |
American carmakers are now tailoring certain versions of their cars with women in mind. And they are learning that design can sway even normally pragmatic women, as a comparison between Ford's Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar demonstrates. The Thunderbird is a high performance car, i.e., it goes fast and is styled to look aggressive. Less than 40% of Thunderbirds are bought by women. But the same car-with a more sedate body, a different name (the Cougar) and different advertising-is as popular with women as it is with men. |
Suppose VX 1000 is a new car that is taking away customers from Japanese cars. Our close at hypothesis would be that VX 1000: |
A) must be less macho.
B) might be cheaper.
C) might be better advertised.
D) might be more reliable.
E) None of these
Correct Answer: D
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