Car sales across the U.S. are in decline, but those looking for a new ride are researching the cars with internet video, according to a new study from Google.

Searches for vehicle brand names alongside the term "video" have risen 237 percent over the past year, the study revealed. In March, there were 240,000 searches for video of vehicles in action, according to ClickZ.

Bonita Stewart, director of automotive at Google, said consumers are watching more video largely because automotive shopping "has always been more inclined to sight, sound and motion, and now you have portable video content available to consumers."

Consumers aren't just looking at the manufacturers' websites, either.  According to Google, 41 percent of shoppers went to YouTube to research automobiles. The study also revealed that most people in the market for a new car are taking less time to research their purchase -- more than half of consumers now spend one month or less on research.

Manufacturers are turning to video as well, albeit in less conventional ways. A recent BMW campaign featured a mockumentary about a German village attempting to catapult one of the cars into the U.S.