As 2017 comes to a close Google has published its annual Year in Search report chronicling this year's most popular search terms across a wide range of categories, from the biggest news stories to the most popular movies. Naturally, we're most interested in this year's most searched for automotive brands. Last year, Honda was the most searched brand thanks to the new Type R hot hatch launching in America for the first time in the model's history, while Chevrolet was at the top of the list in 2015.
This year, the result was different again as Ford was the most searched car company in 2017 for the first time in three years. According to Google, the automaker gained the most interest in its home state of Michigan followed by West Virginia and South Dakota. Ford was also the most searched car brand in 2014 thanks to the announcement of the new Ford Mustang. The 2018 Ford Mustang facelift contributed to Ford's popularity in the search engine, but the most popular searches saw customers looking for more information about the 2018 Ford F-150, Raptor, and Explorer which isn't surprising given the popularity of pickup trucks and SUVs.
Lexus came in second place as the luxury automaker's popularity piqued thanks to the new LC and all-new LS, which drew the most searches in California, Georgia, and Florida. Consumers also regularly searched for information about the IS and RX crossover. Kia was the third most searched car brand in America this year. You would think that the acclaimed Stinger would have caused the Korean automaker to rank so high up in the most searched car brands, but the most popular searches were for the Optima, Sorento, and Soul. Falling below Kia in fourth place was Toyota as the 2018 Camry and Tacoma generated a lot of interest.
Close behind was Honda ranking as the fifth most Googled automotive brand in the United States, with the Accord, Pilot, and Civic being the most popular searches. Rounding off the top ten spots are Buick, Acura, Tesla, Hyundai, and Dodge, which saw a significant spike in interest following the reveal of the Challenger SRT Demon, so at least the automaker's exhaustive marketing campaign paid off.