Let’s face it, in this new age of car advertising; online content is king. As a result, healthy Google search figures likely indicate healthy interest in a car brand. This is especially important to low-volume manufacturers such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley.

However, a new study by CompareTheMarket highlights what might be an alarming trend these brands all have in common. Thanks to a comparison of Google search results over a 10-year period, the UK-based site found some interesting data. However, some new and upcoming products might correct this issue.

What is wrong with Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley?

While CompareTheMarket’s list covers plenty of car brands, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley stand out. Over a 10-year period, Google searches for these brands have dropped significantly. Starting with the prancing horse, Ferrari searches dropped by 35.3 percent when compared to 2010. Following those same steps is Aston Martin with a 19.9 percent drop over the same period. Lastly, Bentley is another low-volume manufacturer that saw a drop of 13.2 percent.

Unfortunately, CompareTheMarket’s study doesn’t tell us exactly why this trend has been so common across low-volume carmakers. However, this might not be as much of a reason to worry as the stats might suggest. Let’s take Ferrari, for example, since it has the worst drop over 10 years.

According to Ferrari, the carmaker still managed to sell 9,119 cars globally in 2020. For the sake of context, the Italian carmaker sold 10,131 in 2019 and 9,251 in 2018. Keep in mind, Ferrari managed to hold decent sales figures despite the arrival of the global pandemic.

What are these carmakers currently working on?

Aside from the shrinking Google search trend, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley all have one key product in common, an SUV. While Aston Martin’s and Bentley’s models are already on sale globally, Ferrari has yet to enter this market. However, if Bentley’s stats are anything to go by, building an SUV will do wonders for Ferrari.

According to Bentley, the carmaker managed to have a record year despite the global pandemic. In 2020, the carmaker sold 11,206 cars globally in 2020. In contrast, it sold 11,006 back in 2019. According to Bentley, the Bentayga SUV accounted for 37 percent of its sales last year. As a result, poor search results don’t seem to have a direct impact on sales figures. However, the SUV trend could surely turn things around.

As it stands, it remains to be seen what kind of impact Aston Martin’s SUV, the DBX, will have for the brand in terms of search. However, if we had to bet, next year’s sales figures will see a healthy boost. As you can imagine, this same trend might boost Ferrari’s searches as it has other carmakers.

These carmakers have thrived during this time

While Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley have fallen in popularity over 10 years, other low-volume carmakers are thriving. This is where Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce come in. During this same period, both carmakers saw a Google search increase of 24.8 percent and 62 percent respectively. As you likely already know, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce’s best-selling models are also SUVs. While the study doesn’t directly show that a rise in SUV popularity is responsible for this trend, we’d be willing to make an educated guess that it has likely played a significant role.