Vehicle modding no longer all-boys club

The market for modified cars will continue to grow in the near future as drivers lookt to express their individuality.

In search of adventure, women show growing interest in modified cars

When Wu Rui first rode her modified car onto the racetrack, she was overwhelmed by the wind hissing past her ears and the cheers coming from all around.

"I love the excitement as well as the challenge. Moreover, it allows me to play music whenever and wherever I like," the 29-year-old pop singer said.

Modified cars have become not only a part of Wu's lifestyle but also an inspiration for artistic expression. She recently wrote a song titled Dream based on how she transformed a Toyota Reiz car to a moving music festival.

The car was equipped with a 3-kilowatt inverter and an emergency power supply to power a sound system as well as a range of instruments, including a keyboard, an electric guitar, an electronic drum set, a loudspeaker box and a sound console.

To add a touch of flair, it has also been refitted with 20-inch wheel hubs, which work together with a D2 pneumatic suspension system to allow the vehicle to lie flat on the ground, transforming the car into a mobile VIP room.

When she performs a show, the car spreads out like an eagle. The trunk opens up to reveal the keyboard and electric drum, while the speakers emerge from the roof and the doors move in different directions to look like wings.

The interior and the floor are decorated with glamorous lighting tailored for the performance.

"The vehicle has to be one of a kind, and it has to tell who I am," Wu said.

In the pursuit of individuality, adventure and sometimes purely aesthetics, more women like Wu are becoming fans of modified cars and cross-country vehicles, a realm that has been dominated by male drivers in the past, industry insiders say.

No independent body has the data to verify the market volume of cross-country or modified vehicles, but Lu Xin, director of the vehicle modification division of the China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Trade Association, estimated that the value of the modified-vehicle market last year was around 10 billion yuan ($1.63 billion), and women contributed about 30 percent to the market.