Top Speed recently released an infographic that features Google searches of car brands performed using the alphabet. The data was gathered over 12 months, between April 2014 and March 2015 (note that Google’s own Trend’s list spanned between January – December 2014).
Data for each country included the highest search volume per month and the car brands matching that search volume. Countries with an average monthly search volume of less than 100 were not included in the data.
Finally, here’s the map, in which each state or country features the logo of the most searched car brand in that area. As you can see, there’s plenty of automotive logos scattered around the globe so scroll down as TS explains in detail what the logos represent.
If you’ve been following the auto industry, you probably already know that Toyota was the world’s biggest-selling carmaker in 2014, with 10.23 million vehicles delivered worldwide. On top of everyone else for the third consecutive year, the Japanese brand was followed by the Volkswagen Group, with 10.14 million units, and General Motors, with 9.92 million. But does this mean these 3 brands are the most popular in the world?
Not exactly, According to Top Speed, the in late 2014, search giant Google released its annual Trends report, which included the most-searched automakers. Believe it or not, in the U.S., Toyota came in fourth and Volkswagen didn’t even make the top 10. Ford was the most-searched brand, with Jeep and Dodge in second and third, respectively.
Though it may seem complicated, the reasons for this discrepancy are quite simple. Selling millions of cars doesn’t make an automaker popular. It just means that said manufacturer meets the needs of more customers than others. “Needs” include not just types of cars, but availability and affordability as well. This is why companies that sell more cars produce a lot of ‘econoboxes’ and focus on emerging markets such as Asia-Pacific and South America.
In other words, most people searching for a Lamborghini don’t actually mean they will buy one. A Lamborghini won’t satisfy a family man’s needs in terms of roominess and cargo space, but a sedan or an SUV will. The more affordable the better, and we’re back to why Toyota and Volkswagen came to cross swords for the world’s biggest selling carmaker.
Let’s focus more on the facts found on the Asian continent. If you notice on the picture above, Asian countries, including ours, are mostly dominated by Japanese make with Honda and Toyota leading the charts. Toyota, also the best-selling automaker here, was the most searched brand in 11 countries, nearly half of them from the Middle East. A bit surprising is the fact that Toyota was, alongside Mercedes-Benz, the most searched brand in the United Arab Emirates too, a country known for its thirst for luxury vehicles and supercars. We would have thought, Aston Martin or Lamborghini would dominate the most searched brand but we guess people there have common sense – as well as a ton of money.
Honda, on the other hand, was the most searched carmaker in 7 countries, all in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia, where the automaker runs 4 facilities. Many of you are aware that Honda managed to secure his No.1 position as the non-national car brand in Malaysia this year and having owned the most dealership (82) across the nation so far in the non-national car brand category. It makes more sense that the Japanese automaker is the most searched brand in our country.
Korean company Hyundai leads the charts in four countries, including Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Apparently Hyundai is popular in both Russia and former Asian members of the Soviet Union.
German brands are also popular among Asian Internet users, which comes as no surprise given both BMW and Mercedes-Benz expanded toward the continent’s emerging markets in recent years. Surprisingly enough, Audi is nowhere to be found at the top of these charts, despite running production facilities in both India and China, and with about a third of its annual production going to the Asia-Pacific area.
Speaking of China, Tesla was the most searched brand here. It may seem shocking, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every household owns a brand new Model S. While sales are far from spectacular compared to other nameplates from Asian and European manufacturers, the reason Tesla is so popular with Chinese Internet users can be linked to the fact that Tesla opened shops in the country a little more than a year ago. The brand was greeted with great enthusiasm by the Chinese, and it continues to be a hot discussion topic as Tesla is rushing to expand its network of charging stations, and add luxury features that suit local tastes. If Tesla would have opened a shop in Malaysia, we’re pretty sure that the same situation would applied in our country as well since there’s a growing number of the electric vehicle enthusiasts in Malaysia.
But while electric cars are becoming increasingly popular with wealthy Chinese drivers, gas-guzzling supercars are equally admired in other countries. Lamborghini, for instance, was the most searched brand in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives. Lamborghini’s raging bull is much more popular than Ferrari. So it makes a little sense that Lamborghini runs a full Super Trofeo racing schedule in Asia.
Do share with us your thoughts and opinions on this topic below or visit Top Speed to read its full report.
PS: Thanks Mike L. Allen of TS for the data and infographics!
