Johannesburg - Which new models are South Africans looking forward to the most? Google data reveals that the new BMW X1 and M2 are the most searched for upcoming models, as researched by Auto Trader.
However, when it comes to searches involving new models, the Toyota Corolla Cross is still king, by a huge margin. The high-value compact crossover, which has been in short supply for most of this year due to the KZN flood damage, garnered an average of 49 800 Google searches per month in the past year.
The aforementioned BMW X1 and M2 followed far behind with respective monthly searches of 10 920 and 10 640. Next up was the Nissan X-Trail (8 810), BMW 7 Series (5780) and Honda Civic Type R (5 740).
The new Volkswagen Amarok also garnered its fair share of interest, with 1 970 searches a month. But it wasn’t all real-world cars in the spotlight, as the Ferrari Purosangue, Mercedes AMG One and Aston Martin Valhalla all secured positions in the top 15.
“South Africa is a nation of car lovers, and our research highlights just how excited car enthusiasts are for the dazzling array of new models set to hit forecourts this year,” said Auto Trader Editorial Director Erin Baker. “And surprisingly it’s not just the more premium or aspirational brands making the top ten, with the more family focused Toyota Corolla Cross, released last year, still having a major impact in South Africa - beating other newer releases by quite some margin!
“Clearly, functionality can be just as important as speed! There’s also plenty of enthusiasm for news and updates around BMWs in South Africa. Looking at global interest, the Nissan X-Trail is garnering plenty of attention with motorists in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, whilst auto-fans in Canada are more interested in researching the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Renault Megane E-Tech."