Maruti most searched auto brand; Swift most queried: Google

Maruti emerged as the favourite when it came to searches for cars online in 2013 and its 'Swift' was the most searched model, Google said today.
According to Google's 2013 auto search trends, India's flagship Auto Expo show is expected to boost car-related queries this year compared to 2012 as companies unveil new models to draw consumer interest.
"Online search trends usually mirror consumer trends offline. This is further clearly evident through the fact that Maruti is the top-searched car brand, closely followed by Hyundai, Mahindra, Honda and Tata," Google said.
It added that Auto Expo searches normally hit a peak during the week before the event, with search volumes rising to about 200 times the normal weekly level.

"The peak is expected to be much higher this time in 2014 due to a phenomenal increase in the number of internet users since the last Auto Expo in 2012," the search giant said.
Auto queries have surged in India, which entered the top 12 list of countries in terms of absolute number of searches in 2013, Google added.

"Auto queries grew over 250 per cent on mobile devices, showing the popular trend of a fast-growing internet audience on mobile devices," it said.
Google said there has been a major shift in consumer preferences over the past few years as generic searches surpassed brand queries. The share of generic searches rose to over 50 per cent last year from about 10 per cent in 2008.

In December 2013, 2 million hours were spent on browsing automotive content online, while over 30,000 hours of auto video content was consumed, it added.