Dcar, the company's automotive information and service platform, said the absolute majority of its users searched online for information about internal combustion engine vehicles in 2021.

It did not offer specific statistics but said Dcar users' interest as reflected in their searches is "basically in line with the status quo in the market".

NEV sales are expected to reach 3.4 million this year in China, roughly 13 percent of total vehicle sales in the country, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

But their cumulative deliveries accounted for 2.28 percent of 297 million vehicles in China by the end of September 2021, said the Ministry of Public Security.

Dcar said the top 10 automotive brands that its users showed most interest in 2021 were all conventional brands, with German carmaker Volkswagen ranking first.

The German brand was followed by Japan's Honda and Toyota. In terms of premium brands, Mercedes-Benz was the most popular.

Local Chinese brands saw their popularity grow in 2021. Changan, BYD and Geely were among the top 10 brands Dcar users searched for.

Startups, despite their high valuations in the stock market, garnered less attention compared with established brands, said Dcar.

Of the new players, Xpeng ranked No 1, followed by Li Auto, Great Wall Motors' new marque Ora and Geely's electric arm Zeekr.