In the 50s, Dodge wanted to innovate by designing a car specially dedicated to women. Bad idea !
If today’s feminine tastes are particularly important in the choices of car manufacturers, things were different in the 50s. Riding the wave of women’s emancipation, the Chrysler Group has embarked on a new market … by making a big mistake!
In the mid-1950s, the Chrysler Group sought to diversify its production with great marketing efforts. The brand’s decision-makers then think that the niche market is the future. Gathered around a table, creatives imagine creating a car exclusively for women. Sold under the Dodge brand, this car is called “The Woman”, in French in the text.
The La Femme’s reason for becoming a car was stemmed from Chrysler’s marketing department’s observation that more and more women were taking an interest in automobiles during the 1950s, and that women’s opinions on which color car to buy was becoming part of the decision making process for couples buying an automobile. The La Femme was an attempt to gain a foothold in the women’s automobile market.
[masterslider alias=”ms-10-1″]The La Femme concept was based upon two Chrysler show cars from the 1954 season. Named Le Comte, and La Comtesse, each was built from a Chrysler Newport hardtop body, and each was given a clear plastic roof over the entire passenger compartment. While the Le Comte was designed using masculine colors, the La Comtesse was painted “Dusty Rose” and “Pigeon Grey” in order to convey femininity. Favorable responses encouraged Chrysler to pursue the La Comtesse concept.
If the idea is not bad, the realization is not the happiest! Externally, the car is distinguished by its low bed, large rear fenders and plenty of chrome. Sold with a pack called “Dodge Custom Royal Lancer”, it presented feminine details (according to Chrysler at least!) As a pink interior and many curves in the onboard furniture …
The standard equipment of this car near a candy box is not common either with accessories that, according to its designers, reflected the woman of the 50s: umbrella, jacket, purse, lipstick and powder compact …
In the end, the sauce did not take at all because the Dodge La Femme was too conceptual. Sold only two years ago, she showed that women did not want to ride cars different from men’s. Since then, no manufacturer has designed a car that was specifically dedicated to them.
