Everything associated with Akio has something to do with sex.

In all seriousness though, I've wondered about the car thing myself. I don't think the car is always (although it often seems to be) associted with sex. Not everyone who goes for a ride ends up having sex with someone (Juri, for example). I think it has a lot more to do with losing innocence, as everyone who's riding is being shown the End of the World. Meaning that they are forced to leave behinf a part of themselves to change something about their lives. Another thing the car might symbolise is power (sex=power, which is why Akio's driving the car all the time ). I'm particularly thinking about the scene where Miki fantasises about driving the car with Anthy next to her. Whoever drives the car is obviously in control and Miki realises that he wants a position like that. It goes deeper than having dominance over Anthy because in that particular episode Miki tries to break free from the control that adults have over him. But according to Kozue, the only way to take control was to lose that innocence to become like the adults. Now's a good time to mention that it's been a while since I last watched Miki's second duel episode which means I might be misinterpreting everyting.

Either way, I'm interested to see other views on this. I think the car motif was mentioned sometime somewhere, but very briefly.

Rosie Fan wrote:

I'm kinda embarressed; my first post and already i'm getting into dirty stuff. 

You shouldn't be! This means you fit here very nicely. Welcome to IRG!

Ikuhara said something about cars symbolizing adult power and glamor. How that fits in to the Utena and Kozue and Shiori cars of the movie I don't know. Perhaps Kozue became a static adult and Shiori a self-destructive adult.

Another thing the car might symbolise is power

The car (Akio's) is also a bit of a masculine symbol, at least that's how it looks to me.  I think you're right, it really is a vehicle for change, in a reckless sort of way, especially with Akio and his no hand driving trick. 

Whoever drives the car is obviously in control and Miki realises that he wants a position like that. It goes deeper than having dominance over Anthy because in that particular episode Miki tries to break free from the control that adults have over him. But according to Kozue, the only way to take control was to lose that innocence to become like the adults.

Loosing innocence in order to attain power or grow up is an interesting idea and makes the whole car thing a lot clearer to me.  Sex could just be one small aspect of that.  I've only seen the series once in it's entierty and have only recently started to watch it over again.  At first I thought it was mostly about feministic values, but now I see it has broader ideas like the painful emotional changes teenagers go through as they try to find what it is they want as adults. 

Now's a good time to mention that it's been a while since I last watched Miki's second duel episode which means I might be misinterpreting everyting.

It's ok I haven't seen most of the show in a while either.  Thanks for commenting, it really cleared up a lot for me.  The car was starting to bother me because I didn't really understand why it was being shown in that way.

So yes, I'd say that whoever rides in Akio's car is being seduced, even Ruka in a way. They're just being seduced to different things. To me it kind of plays on the stories about getting into cars with strange people as well.

Seduction is Akio's favorite past time. ;)

Ikuhara said something about cars symbolizing adult power and glamor. How that fits in to the Utena and Kozue and Shiori cars of the movie I don't know. Perhaps Kozue became a static adult and Shiori a self-destructive adult.

I've only seen the movie once but those cars really confused me.  They probably are sort of like the Akio car though.

I know someone has said that the car is representative of adulthood.  Gio maybe?  Something along the lines of...

When you're a kid, you can't wait to grow up.  Getting your first car is a big deal and a symbol of passage into (near) adulthood.  Akio has all the material trappings of wealth, independence, power, and maturity while truly possessing none of them.  The car symbolizes all those things that Akio has, or seems to have, that the students might covet.

Stormcrow wrote:

There are seductions and then there are seductions. So yes, I'd say that whoever rides in Akio's car is being seduced, even Ruka in a way. They're just being seduced to different things. To me it kind of plays on the stories about getting into cars with strange people as well.

And it forces them to stare at Akio's butt when he jumps over the hood.

I agree that the car ride is ultimately about seduction. The object of desire changes according the person being seduced but the emotional bound of wanting something is clearly relevant. As someone mentioned the car is also connected with adult power, the idea of riding in cars with stranges also ties rather nicely with this, after all it is an advise that is usually given to children, which is what the students at Ohtori truly are, to ward off against grown ups that might wish to harm them, in this case Akio.