These days, women pretty much demand the same qualities in their cars as they want from their home: Flexibility, good tech connections, and more storage space. At least, that’s what the results of a new study from Johnson Controls found.

After focusing its fact-finding mission on the evolving needs of women, the study confirmed what we’ve known for years: Women want more from their cars, and we’d like them to suit our style as well as our needs.

According to the study, here’s what’s women would like to see in a car:

- More flexibility. In the course of a single day, a woman’s car might be a kids’ taxi service, a mobile office, a transport vehicle for soccer equipment and even a party wagon for a gaggle of girlfriends. We need cars that can adapt to the ever-changing needs of our days just as well as we do!

- More connections. Women tend to use technology differently than men. We don’t see them as entertainment gadgets so much as we see them as security devices. We want ways to be able to stay charged and connected, from our GPS/OnStar systems to our cell phones and iPods.

- More space! As we’ve already established, women use their cars for a lot of different reasons. In fact, it seems that any car driven by a woman should automatically earn the MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) description. With that in mind, we’d like more space to stow our stuff, please!

-  More style. Just because we have to drop off the kids and the dry cleaning, that shouldn’t mean we have to look like we’re driving a boxy commercial vehicle! High on the list was the demand for “fun, non-mom” vehicles.

- More environmental friendliness. Leave the gas guzzlers on the lot; today’s women drivers want cars that are basically like Brad Pitt, if Brad Pitt were a car. In other words, they want something that looks good, is environmentally friendly and can fit in whatever role is demanded.

Finally, the study found that women find a lot of safety and security inside their automobiles. Because we tend to keep a lot of personal items in our cars, they become an extension of our homes and we find it easy to relax and unwind behind the wheel.

Until, of course, just like at home, the phone starts ringing and the kids start fighting…

The Corvette is arguably one of America’s best-loved sports cars. Throughout its 50-year history, the Corvette has been at no shortage for attracting ink, but few books talk about this car as thoroughly or eloquently as Jerry Burton in his new book, Corvette: America’s Sports Car – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

Packed with previously unpublished photos from the GM archives, as well as interviews with the engineers and designers who first gave birth to this iconic auto, Burton unfolds the car’s fascinating history and then supplements his facts with vintage magazine stories and ads. All in all, it makes for a great read for ‘Vette fans and becomes a must-have reference book for anyone with an interest in sports cars in general.

The pictures alone make this worth an hour or two of your time; the images are gorgeous and are beautifully showcased in this oversized tome. It even includes images of the 2009 ZR1 Blue Devil, which is Chevrolet’s 600 horsepower supercharged 6.2 liter V8.

Pulling it all together is an impressive binding which makes this book an instant eye catcher. The brilliant “Corvette Red” padded vinyl cover is topped off with Corvette’s crossed-flags hood emblem, meaning you won’t want to put this one on the shelf – you will absolutely have to leave it out for guests to admire.

If you already own the car, you might as well read the book! And if you don’t own the car – this just might be the book to convince you to give it a second look. The book retails for $75, and of course you can find it online at Amazon.com.

Although women are buying about 60 percent of the cars out there today – and influencing the decision in 85 percent of all new car purchases, luxury auto manufacturers are still falling short when it comes to marketing.

“In terms of the luxury auto market, they could do much better at reaching women,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute. “When you look at the ultra-luxury automakers, like Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Maserati, they really have a long way to go.”

Pedraza says that a male-dominated industry has led to male-oriented marketing – even though the marketing firms behind the campaigns oftentimes are led by successful women.

“It’s an industry dominated by men, so they haven’t gotten the message that wealthy women are a force in their own right,” Pedraza points out. “You see it in every aspect, from the way the cars are marketed to the way women are treated in dealerships. A lot of them are not sensitive to the needs of a female driver and the buttons they need to press. Women are equally interested in [a car's] performance, but also are drawn to the idea of achievement and rewarding yourself. This is what they luxury car manufacturers should be looking at.”

Those who do start paying attention to the fairer sex could find big rewards. With more and more women earning six and seven-figure incomes, they have the purchasing power that luxe auto manufacturers crave. Pedraza says that appealing to women’s more emotional side – as opposed to touting horsepower and speed – will be the key to success.

For proof of that, he points to Cadillac, which has found success in branding among women, thanks to some ads that show successful, attractive women enjoying their cars – and leaving male drivers in their dust.

“They’re showing women who are strong, powerful and functional,” says Pedraza. “But the one thing Cadillac still struggles with is identifying their market brand. On the one hand, they give us these great commercials with powerful, successful women, but then they also give us commercials featuring rappers, where women are used as a showpiece. In order to do better, they have to quit sending confusing signals.”

When brands like Aston Martin, Bentley and Ferrari refocus their campaigns, they could find a new following with a powerful, brand-loyal female marketplace.

“There’s a segment of women out there that like powerful cars, great styling and who love the driving experience,” Pedraza notes. “Luxury car brands need to understand that and speak to them as women. They need to be clear, distinct and respectful. But luxury car firms just haven’t gotten that yet.”

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to write a story on Chuck Murphy, a Texas car collector with a garage full of unique and antique cars. He has plenty of cars to catch the attention of any gearhead, but the one that I found most fascinating was his 1914 Ohio Electric Dresden Brougham – one of the first electric cars ever made.

Murphy’s model is in pristine condition, and even comes with the original accessories. He explained that the electric cars were sold only to women and were seen as the perfect vehicle for their target market, as they were clean to drive and ran quietly. They were designed specifically for and sold exclusively to women of means – a.k.a. the luxury car lovers of the day – and today their $2,900 price tag would translate to about $80,000.

Chuck explained to me that the cars were created primarily as “social vehicles.” They were intended for women to get back and forth from social visits, and as proof of that, he showed me the original accessory kit that was included with the car. Instead of tools, this roadside emergency kit contains a tiny mirror, a sterling silver comb, perfumed papers for “refreshing oneself” before a visit and a mechanical pencil attached to a tiny pad of unlined paper. He said that, in the event of a breakdown or accident, these wealthy ladies wouldn’t be expected to know what to do, so the tool kit was seen as pointless.

The most interesting information about the car, however, was Chuck’s observation that it just might be responsible for launching the “women driver” jokes. The car’s interior is spacious, but is designed more like Cinderella’s carriage than a working sedan. Seats at the front of the car face the back, so passengers can talk to the driver and other passengers, who are seated on a bench-style seat at the rear. Visibility is almost zero even without passengers; toss in a couple of ladies with big hats, and you will find yourself depending upon luck to keep it out of the ditches.

“I really think this was the start of all those ‘women driver’ and ‘backseat driver’ jokes,” Chuck told me, pointing out that this car is, indeed, steered from the back seat. “Once you put passengers in the car, it was almost impossible to see where you were going.”