Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has topped the list of cars that received most searches on Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in 2013. The top 10 list included Bugatti, MINI, Ford, Jeep, Toyota, GMC, Dodge, Subaru and Mazda in that order. Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) said that Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) saw the biggest increase in search volume over the previous year. The Elon Musk-led automaker’s Model S received a perfect score from Consumer Reports, and its stock has surged 350% so far this year. The fact there were three Model S fires in a period of just six weeks also generated a good bit of public interest.
Tesla only popular in some states
However, a closer look at the data reveals that most of the searches for Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) came only from certain states. For example, California was the state most interested in the electric car maker. But Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota were least interested, reports Hannah Elliott of Forbes. Washington and New Jersey were the second and third most Tesla-obsessed states.
Overall, “Fast & Furious” star Paul Walker, who died in a road accident a few weeks ago, topped the list of most searched terms. The Boston Marathon bombing came in No. 2 on Google Trends, followed by Nelson Mandela. The top ten overall searches included Cory Monteith, iPhone 5S, government shutdown, James Gandolfini, Harlem Shake, Royal Baby and Adrian Peterson.
Tesla among top trending stocks
University of Phoenix, a fake online college, was the most searched for college in 2013. Only two Ivy League universities made it into the top ten colleges, Cornell and Columbia. The list of the top trending stocks was dominated by tech companies. The ten most searched for stocks were Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), Fannie Mae (OTCBB:FNMA), J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE:JCP), SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ:SCTY), Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) and Freddie Mac (OTCBB:FMCC).
Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares were up 0.32% to $152.95 in pre-market trading Wednesday.
