cars news 10: Cosmopolitan Debuts Car it Says is Geared Toward Women

Cosmopolitan partnered with Seat to design a car geared toward young women. Sadly, this is what they came up with.

The creation, which debuted at Cosmopolitan’s FashFest in London recently, is based on the Seat Mii, a rebadged version of the Volkswagen Up! city car. One could argue that an economy hatchback is an odd choice to use as your muse for a fashion event, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The car is affordable, practical, safe, and fuel-efficient, qualities young women often value. But then Cosmo made the unfortunate choice to slap on some purple paint, sparkly wheels, and champagne bismuth interior details. That, and special “eyeliner” that emphasize the headlights “in the same way as make-up emphasizes the eye.”

It’s hard to imagine the garish purple paint as representative of the tastes of all young women. Unfortunately, the car seems to have little innovation or imagination in terms of design. On the other hand, the car is all about fun and fashion, and perhaps should just be taken as an artistic expression and nothing else. That is, if it weren’t prefaced with the following.

“Designed with the tastes and preferences of Cosmopolitan’s audience in mind, the Mii by COSMOPOLITAN is agile, exciting to drive and easy to park; an aesthetically pleasing car with personality,” this press release says. It’s quite easy to imagine women everywhere being offended by this statement.

“Your car is a place for impromptu karaoke performances, last-minute wardrobe changes, dramatic gossip sessions and emergency lunch-hour kips. So it makes sense that you’d want it to feel personal and special – as if it were designed just for you,” Cosmo says on its U.K. website.

For better or worse, this car is apparently not just a one-off. The Seat Mii by Cosmopolitan goes on sale early next year in three- or five-door versions. The model offers smartphone compatibility, and a Cosmopolitan Lifestyle Collection package brings a wireless charging cell phone battery.

Source: Cosmopolitan, SEAT