Its amazing to thing that “googled” is now an actual word in the dictionary. It might as well be, considering it is now a widely used term to describe searching for something on the world’s most popular internet search engine. Each month the company compiles lists of the most searched terms entered into it. Then at the end of the year it releases a list of the most search terms for the entire year. These lists are broken down based on categories such as food, music, and cars.
This list looks at the top ten most googled car manufacturers for 2014. Aside from simply ranking them, it also looks into why they are such popular searches. Typically car brands are searched by people who are looking to purchase one of their vehicles. However, there are a number of other factors that can attribute to the number of searches a company can get. A lot of times these would have to do with the future outlook of the company’s stock, different awards or innovations the company is making, or even just major news events that involve the company.
As its name would suggest, Tesla Motors is a producer of electric-powered automobilies. The company was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard, Elon Musk, Marc Tarpenning, J.B. Straubel, and Ian Wright. The founders decided to name the company after Nikola Tesla, the famed inventor from the late 1800s. This is because the company based the design of its engines off the designs of Tesla’s 1882 motor that used alternating current.
Tesla gained worldwide attention when it released the Tesla Roadster, the world’s first all-electric sports car. The company is both loved and hated in the media. It is loved for its environmental efforts and its innovations in the alternate fuel market. However, Tesla receives a lot of criticism due to its inability to deliver on a number of sky high goals.
One of these was a promise made by Tesla Motors to have a large network of electric fueling stations across the United States by 2014. Despite the varying opinions, Tesla is one of the fastest growing auto manufactures in the world. It offered on NASDAQ in 2010 and in the first quarter of 2013 it posted its first profits. The Palo Alto, California-based company has taken a slight hit this year due to the declining price of gasoline, but it still remains as a favorite for long-term investors.
9. BMW
BMW is part of a highly select group of auto manufactures known as the “German Big Three.” The company is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria and is one of the three best-selling luxury car makers in the world along with the German companies Audi and Mercedes-Benz. BMW was founded in 1916 by Franz Josef Popp, Karl Rapp, and Camillo Castiglioni. It has long been seen as one of the finest companies in the world. In 2012, Forbes magazine named BMW the world’s “Most Reputable Company in the World.” This was due to its customers level of satisfaction and inclination to suggest the car to future customers.
8. Nissan
Nissan was founded in 1933 by Masujiro Hashimoto, Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, Meitaro Takeuchi, Yoshiuke Aikawa, and William R. Gorham. It is headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. In 1999, it combined with French auto manufacturer Renault to form Renault-Nissan Alliance. Four different brands sell under Nissan: Nissan, Infinity, Datsun, and NISMO or Nissan Motorsport International Limited. In 2013, the company announced plans to release a driverless car by 2020.
7. Honda
Honda is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1946 by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa. The company produces more internal combustion engines than any other manufacturer in the world, averaging 14 million of these per year. To put that in perspective, 2014 was the first year any auto manufacturer had over 10 million cars roll off their assembly lines. This is due to the fact that Honda is highly diversified. Aside from just selling cars, Honda has been the world’s largest producer of motorcycles since 1959. It also produces powered equipment for landscaping and lawn care needs that are sold to both commercial companies and private consumers. It also ventures into producing aircrafts, ATVs, mountain bikes, solar cells, and even robots. Honda is also one of the world’s leading manufactures and researchers of alternative energy sources.
6. Subaru
Subaru is a subdivision of the Japanese transportation company Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). FHI was founded in 1953 by Kenji Kita and produced its first Subaru the following year. It is headquartered in Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan. The company is widely known for its design innovations. Subaru was the first company to use a symmetrical all-wheel drive system. This is a system in which the axels are made up of two equal length half axels, allowing for a much more equal distribution of weight. Subaru is also widely recognized for its use of the boxer engine. The boxer engine is an engine design which incorporates horizontally placed pistons as opposed to the usual vertical chambers. Aside from its innovative designs, Subaru is also widely recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly auto manufactures. In 2006, it became the first company in the United States to have a factory that was also considered to be a wildlife habitat by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
5. General Motors
General Motors is a conglomeration of 13 different brands that sell in 37 countries across the globe. The Detroit, Michigan-based company was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant, Charles Stewart Mott, and Frederic L. Smith. From 1931 to 2007, GM led all auto manufacturers in sales each year. Unfortunately for the company, many of those search engine clicks were not generated by people looking to buy one of their products. In April of 2014, the company came under heavy fire due to allegations that they had knowingly placed faulty ignition systems in their vehicles as far back as 1997. The cars were not recalled and are believed to have caused the deaths of at least 13 people. This news has greatly hurt the auto giant. Sales were down for the year and the company had to recall an estimated 28 million cars worldwide.
4. Toyota
Toyota is the largest car manufacturer in the world based on production. It was the first company to ever produce over 10 million cars in a single year. In 2014, it was the world’s 12th highest revenue producing company. Toyota was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda and is based in the Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In July of 2014, it became Japan’s largest company by market capitalization. It is one of the world’s largest producers of hybrid electric cars. In 1997 Toyota introduced the Prius which has become the best selling hybrid in the world.
3. Dodge
Dodge is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was founded by the Dodge brothers, Horace Elgin and John Francis, in 1900. Today it is a subdivision of Fiat-Chrystler. From the time Chrystler purchased the company in 2006 until 2013, Dodge operated three separate divisions: Dodge, Ram, and SRT Viper, the latter of which re-merged with Dodge in 2014. Dodge has become the leader in the modern muscle car revival. It first released the V-10 powered Viper in 1992, which was considered the first American Muscle car since the early 1970s. Then in 2006 it re-released the Charger, following up that release with the Challenger in 2008. According to Forbes magazine the Challengers is the fastest car under $50,000 on the market today. Finally in 2013, the company re-released the Dodge Dart as an entry-level model to its lineup of new generation muscle cars.
2. Jeep
The Jeep is an American icon. It debuted in 1941 as the Willy’s Jeepster andwas originally produced strictly for use by the United States’ military during World War II; however it quickly gained demand in the civilian market place. In 1945 the first Jeeps were produced for civilians. For a long time the company was owned by the American Motor Corporation. AMC was bought by Chrystler in 1987 and Chrystler soon after began producing the company’s flagship model: the Jeep Wrangler.
Today Jeep produces just five models aside from the Wrangler: the Renegade, Patriot, Compass, Cherokee and Grand Charokee. Jeeps are still considered some of the best vehicles for all terrain purposes. This is because they use solid front and rear axels. Jeeps are also very popular because they hold their value very well. Over the last decade, the Jeep Wrangler has been named Kelly Blue Book’s “Model to Best Hold Its Value” more than any other vehicle.
1. Ford
Ford is the American icon when it comes to cars. The company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford. Next to General Motors, Ford is the best selling US auto brand in history and has been the best selling American brand for the past five years in a row. It sold more cars in 2014 than in any other year of its history. The Ford F Series were the fastest selling trucks in showrooms for the year, the Fusion broke its yearly sales record, and the Mustang’s sales jumped 66 percent. Recently, the Ford Motor Company was called “the most important industrial company in the history of the United States” by Forbes magazine.
Source: therichest.com
