--- title: "Caterpillar vs Hitachi: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Caterpillar or Hitachi more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Excavator brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/caterpillar-vs-hitachi" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Caterpillar vs Hitachi: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Caterpillar or Hitachi more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Excavator brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Caterpillar and Hitachi - **Competitive set**: Excavator brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Caterpillar Share of Search**: 6.2% - **Hitachi Share of Search**: 3.8% ## Is Caterpillar or Hitachi more popular in search? - In September 2026, Caterpillar had more branded searches than Hitachi among excavator brands in New Zealand. Caterpillar had about 460 branded searches, while Hitachi had 280. Caterpillar made up 6.2% of all excavator brand searches we track, and Hitachi accounted for 3.8%. - Caterpillar was ahead of Hitachi in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Caterpillar’s share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand moved from 5.3% to 6.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 440 to 460. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hitachi’s share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand moved from 2.8% to 3.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 230 to 280. ## Top excavator brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Caterpillar appeared in all five answers. Hitachi was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Caterpillar and Hitachi were each listed first in two of the four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Komatsu | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Kubota | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Hitachi | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Caterpillar | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Takeuchi | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Yanmar | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | CablePrice | 7th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Sany | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Terra Cat | 9th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Kobelco | 10th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Bobcat | 11th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sumitomo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | JCB | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about excavator brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which excavator brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Kubota, 2. Takeuchi, 3. Yanmar, 4. Komatsu, 5. Hitachi, 6. CablePrice, 7. Terra Cat, 8. Caterpillar - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best excavator brands in New Zealand?": 1. Kubota, 2. Komatsu, 3. Hitachi, 4. Caterpillar, 5. Takeuchi, 6. Yanmar, 7. Sany, 8. CablePrice, 9. Terra Cat, 10. Kobelco - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best excavator brand in New Zealand for earthmoving work?": 1. Komatsu, 2. Caterpillar, 3. Hitachi, 4. Kubota, 5. Takeuchi, 6. Sany, 7. Terra Cat, 8. CablePrice - Searched Google, AI Overview "best excavator": 1. Caterpillar, 2. Komatsu, 3. Hitachi, 4. Kobelco, 5. Bobcat, 6. Kubota - Searched Google, AI Overview "mini excavator brands": 1. Caterpillar Not named in any answer: Sumitomo and JCB. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand excavator brands in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Hitachi in New Zealand rose 21.7% over 12 measured months, from 230 to 280 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Caterpillar estimated searches | Caterpillar Share of Search | Caterpillar rank | Hitachi estimated searches | Hitachi Share of Search | Hitachi rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 440 | 5.3% | 5 | 230 | 2.8% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 410 | 4.9% | 5 | 310 | 3.7% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 380 | 5.7% | 4 | 180 | 2.7% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 430 | 5.5% | 4 | 280 | 3.6% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 510 | 6.5% | 4 | 250 | 3.2% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 560 | 5.8% | 4 | 340 | 3.5% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 460 | 6.1% | 4 | 250 | 3.3% | 7 | | May 2026 | 570 | 6.5% | 4 | 280 | 3.2% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 540 | 6.1% | 4 | 250 | 2.8% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 470 | 6.4% | 4 | 280 | 3.8% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 530 | 5.8% | 4 | 350 | 3.9% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 460 | 6.2% | 4 | 280 | 3.8% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Caterpillar’s and Hitachi’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Caterpillar**: Measured on the search terms “303 cat excavator”, “306 cat excavator”, “308 cat excavator”, “349 cat excavator”, “bruder cat excavator”, “cat digger”, “cat excavator” and “rc cat excavator”, summed into one figure. - **Hitachi**: Measured on the search terms “hitachi digger” and “hitachi excavator”, summed into one figure. - [Caterpillar profile](/demand/nz/brands/caterpillar) - [Hitachi profile](/demand/nz/brands/hitachi) - [All excavator brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-excavator-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 13 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Caterpillar or Hitachi more popular in search? In September 2026, Caterpillar had more branded searches than Hitachi among excavator brands in New Zealand. Caterpillar had about 460 branded searches, while Hitachi had 280. Caterpillar made up 6.2% of all excavator brand searches we track, and Hitachi accounted for 3.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Caterpillar vs Hitachi: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/caterpillar-vs-hitachi This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/caterpillar-vs-hitachi. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.