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Chris Travell is ready to debunk one frustrating auto industry myth and pleasantly surprised by the emergence of another somewhat surprising reality.

The fact is, he says, women do not completely organize, thoroughly control or unduly influence the car buying decisions in Canada — certainly not 80-plus per cent of the time, which for years and years has been common wisdom in the auto industry. Women do not orchestrate 80 per cent of all new vehicle purchases in Canadian households.

"Eighty per cent is simply not true; that's a mythical number bouncing around and the data just isn't there," says Travell, who heads the automotive research group of market researcher Maritz Canada.

"The actual number is 65.7 per cent for the industry as a whole," he adds. "It does fluctuate by segment but it's not the 80 per cent that has been put forth previously. This includes women not only buying the car, but being involved in some way in the buying decision, either with a spouse, or helping a friend.

"Now for men, the number is 76.2 per cent. One of the main drivers of this for men is their purchase of trucks — women tend not to be involved as much in a truck purchase."

So the data say both men and women generally play a role in a car-buying choice, though men are still the more powerful force. (Of course, virtually every man I've ever talked to who is married or in a serious relationship with a woman says he'd be nuts to go buy a new car without consulting his partner.)

But what interests Travell more about the latest Maritz New Vehicle Customer Study is the emergence of "fun to drive" as a significant driver in the purchase decision of women. In fact, more women cited "fun to drive" than men (almost 13 per cent among women, under 12 per cent among men) and road holding/handling capabilities were also cited as more important to women (7.7 among women, 6.8 among men).

"I think it's because the small-car segment has really improved," he says. "These new small cars are good and women are discovering them and like them."

And that's what they can afford on their own incomes. According to Statistics Canada, up to age 50, women earn less than 70 per cent of what men of a similar age are paid.

"Sure, the economic issue has, I think, quite an impact" on the new-car purchasing decisions of women, says Travell. Women, because of income constraints, tend to shop for compact and subcompact cars and now, with so much more emphasis on making small cars both fun and affordable, women are saying they want more of both.

So what are women actually buying? Small cars, of course. According to the J.D. Power and Associates Power Information Network, the top 10 non-luxury models bought by women are all, without exception, little runabouts, from Volkswagen Beetles to Honda Fits to Saturn Astras.

Tom Libby of the Power Information Network (PIN) data collection system does caution that the PIN data do not completely reflect the influence of women in the overall buying decisions in the marketplace. That is, the PIN data show only the name (and gender) of the person on the sales contract, therefore women in their 20s and 30s tend to be over-represented in the data. Younger women more often buy cars without partners compared to women over 40.

"So the data is a bit skewed that way towards small cars," he says of non-luxury sales.

On the luxury side, Power's Libby says four of the top 10 vehicles bought by women are compact cars and two more are compact crossover wagons. Small still rules, even when money is less an issue.

That's because women overall put a greater emphasis on pocketbook issues than men. They are more likely to cite "value" as a purchase reason than men.

Women also emphasize the importance of other concerns related to the economics of buying and owning a vehicle: reliability, dependability, fuel economy and the actual purchase price.

What do men want? Durability, engine performance, ride quality on the highway, four-wheel drive, towing capability, workmanship, storage and technical innovations. All of those rated higher for men than women. Men also said they like to look for the deal, "Especially in the luxury or premium end," says Maritz's Travell.

"Guys say getting a deal — negotiating — is a sport and many say they are good at it and enjoy the 'hunt,' so to speak," he adds.

A closer look at the top 10 luxury buys among women suggests value and safety matter, not necessarily the best "deal," nor flat-out racy performance. In fact, the luxury car with the highest female ownership is the Volvo C30 compact hatchback. For men, the top luxury buy is a huge BMW 7-Series sedan.

But Power's Libby cautions that in Canada, the premium market is relatively small compared with the United States. This means that in quite a few cases the sample size — the actual number of dealership transactions — can be smaller than ideal for statistical purposes.

But raw sales numbers are raw sales numbers and in Canada they show a great difference between men and women when it comes to both luxury and non-luxury vehicles.

The C30, for instance, starts at well under $30,000 ($27,695), while the 7-Series starts at $108,500. The C30's base engine is a thrifty little 168-horsepower five-cylinder, while the outgoing 750i (a revamped 7 is due next year) starts with a 360-horsepower V-8.

In general, the list of most popular luxury cars for women is a collection of sensible, entry-level cars and small crossover wagons. No big sedans, not sports cars, no souped-up luxury pickup trucks, the likes of which you find on the list of top 10 luxury cars for men.

Overall, Canadian women seem to want a Volvo when they want a luxury car. Five of the top 10 best sellers were Volvos, although the sample size is small. In addition to the C30, the top 10 include the V50 (No. 5), S40 (No. 7), S60 (No. 9) and XC70 (No. 10). Volvo, of course, has built its brand on a reputation for safety, smooth road manners, and attractive if not flashy styling, and all matter with women.

Rounding out the top 10 luxury cars for women are the Acura RDX (No. 2), Acura CSX (No. 3), Land Rover LR2 (No. 4), BMW X3 (No. 6) and the Lexus RX (No. 8). The RDX, LR2, X3 and RX are all modest-sized crossovers, while the CSX is an upscale version of the reliable and fuel efficient Honda Civic, Canada's best-selling car.

For men, the top 10 luxury list looks like a roster of cars you might see rolling down Bay Street on a Friday afternoon: Lincoln MKS (No. 2), Audi A5/S5 (No. 3), Infiniti M35/45 (No. 4), Lexus LS (No. 5), Cadillac DTS (No. 6), Porsche 911 (No. 7), BMW Z4 (No. 8), Lincoln Mark LT (No. 9) and Lexus GS (NO. 10).

The MKS, the M35/45, the LX, the DTS and the GS are all sedans, while the A5/S5 is a high-end coupe. The 911 is a powerful sports car and the Mark LT is a gussied up version of the Ford F-150 pickup.

Obviously, with men, luxury sedans rule, though it's hardly surprising to find a Porsche slipping into the top 10. The Mark LT may be doing well now, but it's been discontinued.

Like Travell, Power's Libby says he also believes income is an important factor in what men and women buy in luxury transportation — that relatively few single women buy a really expensive vehicle.

The analysts both caution that data on gender patterns in car buying also do not account for a key economic factor: married households in which men purchase cars driven by their wives or daughters. By counting only women buying their own vehicles, the data skew more toward single, younger, working and divorced women.

Still, the results clearly show that many women buy smaller, less expensive wheels out of economic necessity, they say.

Regardless of who exactly is buying and who is doing all the driving, Travell says that it's very clear that women are increasingly knowledgeable about cars. As a result, successful brands and dealerships are well advised to be both informed and respectful when dealing with either sex.

"What we're telling our clients is just to improve the whole (sales process)," he says.

Forget about myths and stereotypes, in other words. The research says they are no longer valid, if they ever were.