--- title: "Caterpillar vs Sumitomo: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Caterpillar or Sumitomo 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-sumitomo" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Caterpillar vs Sumitomo: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Caterpillar or Sumitomo 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 Sumitomo - **Competitive set**: Excavator brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Caterpillar Share of Search**: 6.2% - **Sumitomo Share of Search**: 6.2% ## Is Caterpillar or Sumitomo more popular in search? - In September 2026, Caterpillar and Sumitomo were level in searches among excavator brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 460 branded searches each, at 6.2% of the total each. - The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Caterpillar took it in December 2025. - 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, Sumitomo’s share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand moved from 5.5% to 6.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 460. ## Top excavator brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Caterpillar appeared in all five answers. Sumitomo did not appear in any of the five 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? - In September 2026, Sumitomo gained share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand, from 5.4% to 6.2%. ## Month by month | Month | Caterpillar estimated searches | Caterpillar Share of Search | Caterpillar rank | Sumitomo estimated searches | Sumitomo Share of Search | Sumitomo rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 440 | 5.3% | 5 | 460 | 5.5% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 410 | 4.9% | 5 | 460 | 5.5% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 380 | 5.7% | 4 | 350 | 5.3% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 430 | 5.5% | 4 | 370 | 4.7% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 510 | 6.5% | 4 | 400 | 5.1% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 560 | 5.8% | 4 | 400 | 4.1% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 460 | 6.1% | 4 | 400 | 5.3% | 5 | | May 2026 | 570 | 6.5% | 4 | 430 | 4.9% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 540 | 6.1% | 4 | 370 | 4.2% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 470 | 6.4% | 4 | 430 | 5.8% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 530 | 5.8% | 4 | 490 | 5.4% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 460 | 6.2% | 4 | 460 | 6.2% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Caterpillar’s and Sumitomo’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. - **Sumitomo**: Measured on the search terms “sumitomo” and “sumitomo excavator”, summed into one figure. - [Caterpillar profile](/demand/nz/brands/caterpillar) - [Sumitomo profile](/demand/nz/brands/sumitomo) - [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 Sumitomo more popular in search? In September 2026, Caterpillar and Sumitomo were level in searches among excavator brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 460 branded searches each, at 6.2% of the total each. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Caterpillar vs Sumitomo: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/caterpillar-vs-sumitomo This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/caterpillar-vs-sumitomo. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.