Tier 2 and 3 cities in India drive auto sector search trends in 2015

Google has announced a strong growth in search results around automobiles and auto brands in 2015 for the Indian market. The overall increase combining both desktop and smartphone grew by 40 percent in 2015. Searches were split equally with 50 percent of all searches driven by desktop users and the rest through smartphones.

While the four metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata) contributed about 35 percent of all search results around automobiles, the remaining 65 percent search results emerged from smaller cities and towns. Interestingly, search interest around ‘used cars’ also saw a strong pickup in 2015, highlighting a growth of over 200 percent when compared to the previous year.

Google’s search results reveal that in 2015, Bangalore emerged as the city with the maximum searches in this category, closely followed by Delhi. Among the non-metros, the second highest search results were recorded from Pune, followed by Hyderabad. Interestingly both these cities recorded more searches than Kolkata. Search interest was driven by Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. While 30 percent growth in queries came from Tier 2 cities, 25 percent search queries were from Tier-1 cities. The rest or 45 percent of search queries were from Tier 3 or smaller towns.

Based on the early data available for 2016, searches around this year’s Auto Expo are almost double when compared to the previous Auto Expo in 2014. New launches and announcements from automakers is expected to further fuel search interest over the next few weeks.

Maruti remains No. 1 in search interest
In the run up to the Auto Expo (basis search trends over the last 30 days) Maruti continues to capture the top slot in terms of search interest followed closely by Mahindra & Mahindra, with both taking a strong lead over other auto majors (including Honda, Tata, Hyundai, Renault, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen). Among the show-stoppers this year, Ford Mustang emerges 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.

As many as 650,000-700,000 visitors are expected to visit the biennial Auto Expo in Greater Noida, making it Asia’s largest auto show. Vehicle manufacturers will show or launch as many as 85 passenger cars, SUVs, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles at the event.