• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, January 22, 2007

Getting women to take the plunge and buy a new car might seem like a daunting task. How does an automotive brand stand out compared to others? How can a testosterone-laden industry show its softer, feminine side? Offer the ladies a set of stylish accessories to decorate themselves and their cars, that's how.

Promoting its Eos convertible, starting at $27,990, Volkswagen teamed up with designers Lutz & Patmos and Hable Construction to create "The Eos Line" of accessories.

Lutz & Patmos created an Origami Cashmere Wrap available in four colors: ivory, black, light grey, and watermelon. There's also a cashmere two-in-one Sculptural Coat and Blanket for two available in black and light grey. Beauty, as any woman will tell you, does not come cheap. The accessories retail for $395 and $525 respectively.

Hable Construction created three silk headscarves -- hair runs rampant when the top's down -- ranging in price from $56 to $68. Some scarves will even bear the Eos Goddess logo.

The accessories are sold online at EosBoutique.com, a site that launched in November, and at specialty stores, and are advertised solely via word of mouth. Which may explain why I never heard of the car until now.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky produced the concept. I've been waiting for Crispin to show its feminine side and am happy the agency did.

This spring, designer Sigerson Morrison joins the fray with the launch of leather driving slippers and driving gloves, each Eos-branded, natch.

"We know that this car has huge potential with a successful, intelligent female demographic, and the reality is that the automotive industry has never done a great job catering to women's needs," said Andrew Keller, executive creative director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky. "The typical automotive gear aesthetic, like cars themselves, is overwhelmingly male."

"When we started to imagine what gear might be like for a well-designed convertible with lots of functionality that could serve as a dream car for a successful, intelligent, independent woman, it was kind, beautiful, social, useful -- a blanket for a passenger. A scarf to wear in or out of the car. Ultimately, it was just about perspective," Keller continued.

Is this the beginning of more female-centric branding in the automotive industry? Should I be on the lookout for makeup by Saab?