It was the year of the iPad 3, Lady Gaga, Gangnam Style, Caster Semenya, the Toyota 86 and the Toyota Etios.
This according to search giant Google, who recently published Zeitgeist 2012, an overview of the most popular search terms in the world and in specific countries. In compiling this list, the company reviewed more than one trillion search queries, filtered it for spam and compiled a no frills list of the most popular topics on the web.
For 2012 South Africa’s most searched for automotive topics mirrored two of the country’s most talked about new vehicles.
Despite being launched in the second half of the year, the new Toyota 86 reached the top of the most searched for list for the year.
“The 86 personifies our new product direction,” says Glenn Crompton, Vice President for Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors.
“It is a purist sports car that awards an enthusiastic driver, all while offering some of the best value for money motoring on the market. We are trying everything to shorten our long waiting list, but the 86 remains in high demand across the world.”
It is not only the public that showed interest in the 86. The car was recently selected as one of the 2013 Wesbank SA Guild of Motoring Journalist’s Car of the Year finalists, while it was recently chosen as the Australian and Top Gear Car of the Year.
Reaching another section of the market, yet almost equality popular was the Toyota Etios. This budget beating hatch and sedan combo is the first of its class to couple a gutsy 1.5 litre petrol engine with a service plan and class leading storage space at a highly affordable price.
“Both vehicles are highly significant for Toyota South Africa,” says Crompton. “With the 86 we entered the sports car market after an absence of many years and proved that it was well worth the wait. The Etios in turn fills a gap left by the country’s favourite, the Toyota Tazz. It has already established itself as the spiritual successor to the Tazz, selling in excess of 2 000 vehicles per month.”
Google’s aptly named Zeitgeist report reminds its readers of the most interesting, popular and controversial topics of a very tumultuous 2012. Topics like Hurricane Sandy, Lance Armstrong, the Olympics and Chad le Clos remind the reader of that which got South Africans talking in the past year. More information on the report is available at http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#south-africa/
