Non-metros drive auto search queries up 40% in 2015: Google

Search queries for the auto segment surged 40 per cent in 2015, driven by traffic from non-metros as well as people looking for used cars, a report by Google today said.
"The overall increase combining both desktop and smartphone grew by 40 per cent in 2015. Searches were split equally with 50 per cent of all searches driven by desktop users and the rest through smartphones," Google said in a statement.
Also, Bengaluru emerged as the city with maximum search queries for automobiles, closely followed by Delhi, it added.
Interestingly, search interest around 'used cars' also saw a strong pickup in 2015, growing over 200 per cent compared to the previous year.

Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata contributed about 35 per cent of all search results around automobiles, while the remaining 65 per cent search results emerged from smaller cities and towns.
"Search interest was driven by Tier II and III cities. While 30 per cent growth in queries came from Tier II cities, 25 per cent search queries were from Tier I cities. The rest 45 per cent of search queries were from Tier III or smaller towns," it said.

Based on the early data available for 2016, searches around this year's Auto Expo have almost doubled compared to the previous edition in 2014.

New launches and announcements from automakers are expected to further fuel search interest over the next few weeks, Google said.
In the run up to the Auto Expo (basis search trends over the last 30 days), Maruti captured the top slot in terms of search interest, followed closely by Mahindra & Mahindra.
Among the show-stoppers expected this year, Ford Mustang emerged as the most searched model among auto enthusiasts followed by the Audi R8, the Chevrolet Camaro, the Range Rover Evoque and the Nissan GT-R.