Why are cars always referred to as females?

One theory is that the habit carried over from men's habit of calling ships "she" and naming ships after women, most often goddesses in ancient times. While ships are not as common a mode of transportation for civilians any longer, in the American and British armed forces, active ships are still referred to as feminine. Similarly, when men became dependant on motor vehicles, they were an ornament of pride and cared for with great attention by their male owners. Some men had a very chauvanistic view of the female car in that it was just a pile of metal without him at the wheel (as the automobile was introduced, only men could afford to or in many areas legally operate one). Other men adopted the mentality that the automobile must be tended and coddled with a gentle hand and therefore was percieved as being feminine.