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10 most searched new cars in 2011

Internet has slowly become the most preferred medium for buyers to search for cars, a study by Nielsen reveals that over 120 million internet users in India prefer internet for searching information. This is the fastest growing medium and influences the decision of new car buyers in India. The study also revealed that one out of two buyers researched online before making a decision for going to the dealership. Year 2011 saw a plethora of new car launches, auto makers brought new cars to the domestic market and most of them managed to caught the attention of buyers.

Here is a list of top ten New Car launches in 2011 that were searched the most by the buyers on internet.

The first car from this list is Hyundai Eon hatchback which was launched in October 2011, Hyundai marketed is smartly with a caption, India will be ON soon. The Korean auto company also created an exclusive site of the car before its launch to create curiosity about the hatch. Hyundai targeted Maruti Alto with this new petite car that offers more space and has better looks than Alto. But the hatch did not get as good response as the car maker had anticipated. The reason why it tempted customers is its low price and petite size, very few cars are offered in the entry level segment and Hyundai Eon was a new addition in this segment.

SUVs saw a surge in demand last year and a huge contribution for this goes to the new SUV from Mahindra and Mahindra, Mahindra XUV 500. Mahindra had a separate ceremony a day before the SUV was launched where it was revealed before the media and auto aficionados. Though, Mahindra did not reveal price on that day but unveiled the SUV for everyone. Also a separate website was created for the SUV and a contest was also conducted, winners were given exciting prices and the bumper price was the SUV itself. The FB page of Mahindra XUV 500 gathered a huge fan base and became extremely popular by the time of its launch in India. The highlight of the SUV was its price, at such low price car offers an array of innovative features. The popularity of the car grew higher and Mahindra had to stop taking bookings of XUV 500.

Another car that drew attention of the buyers was Honda’s cheapest priced car in India, Honda Brio. This petite car is the first offering from Honda in the entry level segment and is priced the least amongst all Honda cars present in India. Honda Brio’s distinctive design attracted buyers, this has become the most selling car from Honda’s portfolio. The company is now apparently developing diesel version of the hatchback too. Tata Manza which launched in the beginning of last year is also amongst the most searched new cars in India. This is the second generation Tata Indigo offered in both petrol and diesel variants offering better fuel economy.

Another luxury car that forayed in the domestic market last year is Maruti’s luxury sedan Kizashi. This is the first offering from Maruti in the luxury segment for the Indian car market. Launched in February 2011, the car was a victim of people criticism. Everybody was sceptical to buy a luxury car priced that high that too from a car brand that is known for offering low priced cars for common man.

After getting immense success in domestic market, the hatchback version of Toyota Etios was the most awaited hatchbacks in India. Toyota Etios Liva was the first hatchback offered by Toyota in India. Etios Liva was expected to attenuate market leader Maruti Swift’s sales, though it could not skid Swift from its strong position, but slowly it started appealing to the customers. The diesel version became more popular than the petrol version and Toyota has started exporting the hatch to overseas countries also.

Amongst the facelifts launched last year, this was probably the most prominent facelift that India witnessed. The car was bestowed with the new fluidic design that gave it a contemporary and flexuous appearance. The elongated head lamps and tail lamps lend it a modish look, apart from that it has some innovative features which are not present in other sedans in its segment. The sedan became so popular that it outpaced the likes of Volkswagen Vento and Honda City soon after its launch in India. Nissan would be definitely happy with its decision to launch Nissan Sunny sedan in India, as due to this sedan the company has been posting strong sales every month. Present in both petrol and diesel variants, Sunny is doing a good business India. The sedan is also being exported to overseas countries.

Skoda’s new downsized version of Vento sedan, Rapid has also brought good fortune for the car maker. Skoda Rapid has become an obvious choice of those customers who want to upgrade to a luxury sedan and is affordable at the same time. Ford announced to launch eight new cars in India last year and new Fiesta was the first car from its new line of products. Fiesta created hysteria with it with its awe inspiring looks and innovative features. Priced a little higher the car got few homes initially, but after the car maker slashed Ford Fiesta prices, its sales took momentum. If we look at pattern of questions asked by the customers on new cars, SUVs emerged as the most popular vehicles in the domestic market. After SUVs premium car segment is the most popular segment, followed by sedans, luxury cars and hatchbacks.

The study also revealed that half of the customers that research online change their mind and end up buying a different car. The data proves how influential is internet and how it governs the decision of a buyer.