December 01st, 2010

Women Auto Race Club: Ladies Who Love their Cars in the UAE

The Women Auto Race Club (WARC) is based in the United Arab Emirates and was started as a place to bring together women who love cars. It was founded in 2006 and is affiliated with the Automobile Tourism Club run by H.E. Mohammed Bin Sulayem. Sulayem is a rally driver who has won several races, including winning the FIA Middle-East Rally Championship an amazing 14 times! Kudos to you H.E. Bin Sulayem for supporting female drivers in the UAE!

These ladies are proud of their passion for cars. Every year they organize the Unity Drive on the National UAE day where they have a ladies-only drive around the UAE. The drive is supported by the Ministry of Interiors and they are the only all-ladies parade on that day. Each year they support a charity, which has included: children with special needs, breast cancer and diabetes.

If you are interested in joining or learning more you can contact them here:
050 - 919 WARC (9272)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

November 27th, 2010

“Made in Dagenham” See the True Story of Female Workers Striking at a Ford Plant

Made in Dagenham tells the true story of women at the Ford plant in Dagenham UK and their strike for equal pay and against sexual discrimination. The event happened in 1968 and the women sewed car upholstery which was classified as “unskilled” labor thus earning them lower pay. Their strike led to the Equal Pay act of 1970. This British film is currently playing in limited release in the U.S.

November 19th, 2010

Do You Love Your Car More Than Your Loved One?

The Telegraph UK reported some surprising results from a survey conducted by the company Turtle Wax. Apparently, 5% of women love their car more than their husband or boyfriend. However, 10% of men said they love their cars more than their girlfriend or wife and 4% said they love their car more than their children.

Those crafty folks at Turtle Wax then asked what might be the most impossible question: If forced to choose between your car or your wardrobe which would you choose to save? 25% of women chose their car!

Andrew Freeman, the European marketing director at Turtle Wax had this to say about the survey “We wanted to get under people’s skin and discover their real relationship with cars,” Freeman went on to note “In fact we were astonished by the honesty and openness of so many respondents.”

November 12th, 2010

New AMG Driving Academy in China has Female Instructor

AMG will open its newest driving academy in China; it’s the first in Asia. There will be a total of 21 instructors. On the permanent team is Susie Stoddart, 27, from Scotland who is the first woman to score points in the new German Touring Car Masters (DTM).

They are launching the new academy with a special course on November 19-24, 2010 at the Shanghai International Circuit. Yes, you can drive the SLS too!

Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH had this to say. “China is also a fast-growing market for AMG. And not only are our AMG high-performance vehicles in ever greater demand, but our Chinese customers are also increasingly asking for racetrack training courses.”

China indeed is growing as fast as ever and we’re happy to hear that AMG realizes that both men and women like to drive fast cars. As we wrote about, 20% of the new Ferraris sold in China were bought by women. AMG or Ferrari, ladies it’s nice to have choices isn’t it!

October 30th, 2010

Female Chauffeurs in India

The Oberoi Hotel at Nariman Point in Mumbai, India, a luxury hotel, has just hired 5 new female chauffeurs. According to the Hindustan Times, they were specifically hired to drive female guests. The drivers range in age from 25-53. The women drive BMWs and went through a two month training program.

According to Varun Chibber, rooms division manager at The Oberoi, guests are very happy with the new female drivers. “They love the service, mostly because they are impressed that we are empowering women.

October 15th, 2010

Every Woman’s Car Fantasy

October 12th, 2010

Female Drivers on the Rise in Afghanistan

In the region of Herat, in Afghanistan, the number of female drivers is on the rise. According to an article by Sudabah Afzali, an Afghan reporter for the The Institute for War & Peace Reporting: in the region 600 women have obtained licenses this year and the number of women taking driving lessons has increased 60% over the last year.

Granted there are people in the region who are against women driving. The article refers to one Afghan woman who “Not[ed] that women were banned from driving under Herat’s former governor, Ismail Khan, she said most of the harassment comes from conservative clerics or members of armed factions, because “these people do not want women driving.” She goes on to note “Even if the problems get worse, I will not give in to the unfortunate views of biased, conservative people. I will fight for my rights.”

That said, many other people in the region are supportive and encourage women to keep driving. The father of a 26-year-old woman had this to say, “What our relatives say about my daughter driving is of no consequence to me. What’s important to me is her development.”

Perhaps Naimatullah, a student at Herat University, summed it up best: “The idea of restricting women’s rights is outdated ... Women driving is a sign that a society has a high cultural level.”

We agree! While for some driving a car is a fun activity for many it is a basic human right that all people deserve to have.