Lamborghini, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors are some of the most popular brands in India in terms of online searches, according to a recent report by online content management platform SEMrush.
Lamborghini, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors were searched 5.91 lakh, 4.86 lakh and 3.48 lakh times respectively in India January to June 2020, the report said.
Other popular brands in terms of online searches include Hyundai (3.42 lakh searches), Honda (3.14 lakh), BMW and Rolls Royce(2.91 lakh), Jaguar (2.73 lakh), Mercedes (2.23 lakh), and Kia (2.05 lakh), the report said.
Kia Seltos was the most searched model, accounting for 7.23 lakh searches during these six months. Other popular models that Indians searched for online were Tata Altroz, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Tata Harrier, Tata Tiago, Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV 300, Mahindra Scorpio, and Mahindra XUV 500.
Fernando Angulo, Head of Communications, SEMrush, said: “These brands remain among the most searched and popular brands in India. However, our study shines a light on would-be challengers. Tata Motors has been undergoing a renaissance over the past few years. Our study shows that its eye-catching new models are resonating with Indian audiences. The study also shows that new kid on the block, Kia is soaring.”
According to the study, SUVs seem to garner more interest from Indians as compared to other cars. Of the most searched models, seven are SUVs.
Curious searches
According to the report, when it comes to automobile brands, online searches reflect the curiosity of Indian consumers rather than actual market numbers in terms of popularity.
“The study distinguishes between consumers who search out of curiosity and those who seek because they’re in the market for a new automobile. According to the survey, when consumers search by a brand, they are likely to be fulfilling a curiosity while when they are searching by the model, they are likely to be in the market for a new vehicle,” the report said.
“Among the most searched brands, five are aspirational luxury brands that relatively few Indians can afford. Consider that the most searched automobile brand is Lamborghini. It was searched an average of 5.91 lakh times while the number of Lamborghini’s sold in India number a few hundred,” it said.
“Similarly, the searches for luxury brands like BMW, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, and Mercedes far exceed the number of such vehicles sold,” it said.
However, online searches for car models align more with the sales numbers.
“For instance, the number of searches for Kia Seltos is 7.23 lakh while 81,000 units of this SUV have been sold so far in India,” the report said.