This document summarizes a study analyzing the potential market for hybrid cars in Mauritius. A survey was conducted of car dealers in Mauritius to examine their views. Key findings include: - The majority of dealers had been in business over 5 years and sold mostly sedans and small cars. Low fuel consumption was the most important factor for customers. - Most dealers were aware of hybrid cars but few had considered importing them as models were not available as hybrids. Dealers had different approaches to adopting new technologies. - While some dealers liked to adopt new technologies quickly, others preferred to wait and see if the technologies succeeded to reduce risks for the Mauritian market.

1. Analyzing the potential market for hybrid cars: a survey of
car dealers in Mauritius.
Introduction
Nowadays the world depends heavily on transportation media and due to environmental changes
that include among others global warming, the transport sector has had to be modified to keep up
with the demand. The demand for today's vehicle is mostly low fuel consumption, low emission,
recyclable, more secure, fewer mechanical problems, ease of driving with lots of electronics and
peace of mind. Cars are now considered as a basic necessity and form part of our daily routine life.
The car industry has evolved and due to fierce competition from players around the world, choosing
the right car has become quite difficult (as mostly all manufacturers have strived to meet
international standards and conformance).
Market analysts predict that hybrid vehicles will become the new trend in automobiles by replacing
gasoline-powered vehicles in the near future (Hybridcars, 2006). In 2000, when the first hybrid car
was mass produced for the Japanese and American market, nobody thought that it would gain so
much popularity.
With the rise in price of the crude oil and due to its possible shortage in the next few decades, the
hybrid technology has been adopted more rapidly in order to limit the disaster, considering the
dependence on transport around the world. Pollution, global warming and C[O.sub.2] emission have
become global concerns and if we do not react now, the future appears gloomy for mankind. Being a
nascent industry, the hybrid car market has limited presence. However, the size of the market has
been growing and manufacturers targeting this market are accelerating their development
strategies. On the global level, the US dominates the hybrid sales followed by Japan and Europe,
while Toyota and Honda lead the bandwagon of global carmakers (Wikipedia, 2011; Green Vehicles,
[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Currently, only few players are dominating the global
hybrid industry but a number of large players are queuing up to enter the market.
The IBM Automotive 2020 Study polled some 125 automotive executives (IBM, 2008). Their final
report via Green Car Congress concludes that "sustainability concerns" will rule the industry's
future. In fact, by 2020, they figure all new cars will incorporate some form of hybridization.
Respondents were less bullish on hydrogen, daunted by "the added challenge of building an entirely
new infrastructure. The study also predicted the rise of the two-car consumer, driving "a primary
vehicle that best meets their daily needs with the option to change to a different model, as needed."
Worldwide demand for hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) will advance rapidly from 1.6 million units in
2010 to 4.3 million units in 2015 and then to nearly double that number by 2020. These fuel efficient
and environmentally friendly vehicles are expected to quickly penetrate the world light vehicle
market in response to rising energy demand (US Energy Information Administration, 2007). This has
led to erratic fuel prices; and increased emissions regulations worldwide (OICA, 2008).
Unfortunately, hybrid vehicles are considerably more expensive than their oil-burning counterparts.
With sales of 510,000 units in the world for 2007, the hybrid car is eating little by little in the big
volume of passenger cars (Wikipedia, 2007). The US and Japan are the two biggest consumers of
hybrid cars with Japan and the US attaining 1.5 % and 1.3 % of the market share respectively
(Wikipedia, 2008). The European Union is at 0.2 % only but with new manufacturers entering the

2. market, the world's largest producer of cars will certainly catch up on its predecessors.
The aims of this study carried out in Mauritius were to examine the extent to which hybrid cars have
a potential market in Mauritius. The Mauritian government made the first step by lowering taxes on
these types of vehicles. However, will the hybrid car best be adopted if Mauritians come to know
more about the technology? Other research objectives that were also examined included: Will the
hybrid car be suitable for roads and the environment in Mauritius? Why did previous alternatives to
fuel saving not work? Do Mauritians really want to go greener and is this technology affordable to
the population? Is it true that politicians and high class society set the trends? Or is it lack of
information that deters Mauritians to enter the hybrid market? These are the issues that this study
will try to look at and analyze, if indeed, there is a potential market for hybrid cars in Mauritius.
Literature Review
In genetics, a hybrid is the result of combining elements from different species. When it comes to
cars and trucks, a hybrid refers to a vehicle whose power trains combines the aspects of different
technologies (i.e. gasoline and electric) to improve efficiency and reduce emissions (Howstuffworks,
2008). In automotive terms, hybridization is nothing new. Hybrid cars and trucks that combined an
electric motor with a gasoline engine date back to the turn of the 20th century. Hybrid diesel-
electric locomotives have been in operation for years, and diesel-electric buses began to appear in
the 1970s. The most common is the electric hybrid, which melds a gasoline engine with an electric
setup (electric motor, charging system, and a battery/storage system). Nocera (2007) believes that
hybrid technology will evolve with time and the single motorization will come again but with
technologies as hydrogen or methane cell powered vehicles only.
Mass Produced Hybrids to Date
The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric mid-size car developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor
Corporation. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, making it the first mass-produced hybrid
vehicle (Wikipedia 2011). It was subsequently introduced worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in
more than 70 countries and regions, with its largest markets being those of Japan and North
America.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2008), the 2008 Prius is the
most fuel efficient car sold in the U.S. Since that time, the Prius has become the best-selling hybrid
vehicle in the U.S. and the world. The Toyota Prius entered the U.S. market in 2000, and the second-
generation 2004 Prius debuted in the fall of 2003 as the first Toyota product to use Hybrid Synergy
Drive. Toyota's third-generation Prius used gas-electric hybrid power train technology since 2009 to
present and its fuel efficiency rating is 4.7L/100km. According to the UK Department for Transport
(2008), the Prius is tied as the third least C[O.sub.2]-emitting vehicle on sale in the UK, and there
are eight cars which are more fuel-efficient for the combined use cycle.
World Hybrid Sales
The worldwide cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius had passed the two million mark as at
September 2010 (see Table 1). Toyota Motor Corporation (2008) believed that Prius vehicles
worldwide had contributed to a reduction in C[O.sub.2] emissions (considered a cause of global
warming) of 4.5 million tons when compared with ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles in the
same class and of similar size and driving performance based on sales figures collected as at 30
April 2008. The Prius is also one of the first vehicles to meet the new 2015 Japanese fuel efficiency
standards set out under the Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy. Toyota has been able to

3. promote and popularize the hybrid technology well according to the sales figures shown in Table 1.
All-electrical-vehicles.com (2011)
analyzed hybrid and electric car sales
for 2010 as per Table 2 and came with
the following conclusions with regards
to the discrepancies of sales in the
USA, Japan and Europe. In Europe, the
main competitor of the hybrid car is
the diesel car which offers both fuel
efficiency and much lower price. In
Japan, hybrid car sales have gone up
because the hybrid technology has
been backed by tax incentives. In the
USA, hybrid car sales has been
encouraged by state emission laws,
green-tech-trendiness and by the fact
that hybrids were seen to offer better MPG (miles per gallon) than standard gas-powered cars.
Hybrid Market Forecast Research
There is some uncertainty on the long-term growth potential of the hybrid car market
(Hybridcar.com, 2011). Researchers from J.D. Power estimated the hybrid car market will account
for 3.5% of the US market by 2010. More optimistic researchers, ABI Research Automotive
Technology Research Group, saw the hybrid market penetration at between 5-6% of the overall US
light-vehicle market (Hybridcar.com, 2011). According to the most recent update of the J.D. Power
and Associates Automotive Forecasting Services Hybrid-Electric Vehicle OutlookSM, U.S. hybrid-
electric vehicle sales volumes are anticipated to grow by 268 percent between 2005 and 2012.
Hybrid vehicle sales are expected to grow from approximately 212,000 vehicles in 2005 to 780,000
by 2012. With increased oil prices and global warming concerns, many see hybrids as being the best
hope in the medium term for reducing oil consumption and emissions. As at 2011, there were fifteen
hybrid models available in the U.S market, however by 2012 this number should most likely increase
to over 50 models (Hybridcar.com, 2011).
Do Hybrids Cost More to Maintain?
According to Christine Scott Gable (2008), possibly hybrids cost more to maintain, but not
necessarily in most cases. The cost of maintaining a hybrid car is really quite similar to the expenses
of maintaining an ICE car. Other than their sophisticated electric drive motor assemblies and the
large battery pack, all other hybrid vehicle systems are really quite similar to traditional cars. They
can cost the same, even potentially less to maintain. With regenerative braking, less wear and tear is
imposed on the regular friction brakes resulting in much longer pad life. In addition, full hybrids
have the ability to shut the engine down, allowing the electric motor to take over, resulting in less
wear on all the engine components allowing for fewer maintenance needs (Gable and Gable, 2008).
The one area where maintenance costs of hybrids could easily exceed those of conventional vehicles
is the electric drive battery packs (Hybridcars.com, 2006). Yet with developments in battery
technology (NiMH and Li-ion) and reliability, most hybrid manufacturers warrant the battery packs
for 80,000 to 100,000 miles. As more and more hybrids hit the roads, real world experience is

4. showing that few battery failures occur and there have been instances in which the batteries have
lasted 150,000 miles and longer (Toyota, 2006).
Reasons for Purchasing the Hybrid Car
To analyze the hybrid car market, Tanaka and Shigeta (2007) at the Nomura Research Institute
(NRI) conducted an internet-based survey of 900 car owners in Japan with two categories of targets,
namely owners of hybrid cars and owners of passenger cars and/or mini-cars that are not hybrid
cars.
Some results from the study were as listed in Figures 1 and 2.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
From Figure 1, it can be observed that hybrid cars were mainly bought for their economy, quiet ride
and environmental friendliness. Moreover, as per Figure 2, consumers' satisfaction with hybrid cars
was generally high and expectations of quiet operation, clean exhaust emissions, latest technology,
fuel economy, preferential tax treatment, better headroom and legroom and better acceleration were
being met. However, satisfaction was very low with regards to the cost of the vehicle and
maintenance cost and many respondents said they would like to see the price of the vehicle and its
maintenance costs go down and a wider variety of models and mini-cars in particular. The study also
found that hybrid car owners were also likely to be repeat purchasers of hybrid vehicles.
[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]
Methodology
The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyse the potential market for hybrid cars in
Mauritius. Furthermore, the aim of this study was to find out what could be done to increase the use
of hybrid cars and make customers aware of the environmental problem that the world is currently
facing. The study tried to determine the willingness of people and companies related to the imports
and sales of cars to venture in the hybrid car sales in Mauritius.
The target population sampled included the different car dealers around Mauritius that sell either
new or second hand imported cars. There were 59 authorised dealers in the importation and sale of
second-hand motor vehicles and 14 dealers of brand new cars. A census survey was selected for the
purpose of this study. A questionnaire was administered through personal interviews and emails to
different strategic management and sales executives of these companies. Strategic and middle sales
managers were chosen for the interview because they are the ones who take the sales decisions or
are able to influence sales decisions. The design of this study represents an exploratory and
descriptive effort in investigating the possibility that car dealers will introduce the hybrid car in a
developing country like Mauritius. We must understand the suppliers' (car dealers) point of view to
see if they believe there is a potential market for hybrid cars in Mauritius. A survey with car dealers
who are the experts on the consumer car market will give valuable insight into the attractiveness,
size and profitability of this car segment.
A total of 98 out of 100 respondents filled questionnaires within agreed dates and times. Initially, a
pre-test of the survey questionnaire was conducted among a few individuals who were familiar with
hybrid technology and among individuals who had never come across the concept of hybrid cars to
ensure that future respondents would understand all the questions easily. After pre-testing, minor
modifications were made to the flow of the questions. The final questionnaire consisted of 6 sections

5. which were as follows:
Section 1: General information- As a means to gather general information on the types of
organizations, the history and sales data.
Section 2: Customer Profile- Details about customer age group, customer type and their likings.
Section 3: Hybrid technology- Gather data relative to views and prospect of hybrid technology.
Section 4: Environment-Data concerning the benefits hybrid can contribute as well as the danger it
represents to the environment.
Section 5: Oil crisis- Gather information pertaining to the exponential rise of oil these recent years
and the benefits hybrid may bring.
Section 6: Lack of Information-Relative to why the hybrid is not well known among Mauritians and
why there could be a problem of adaptability.
Findings and Discussion
The ratio of new car dealers to second hand car dealers (which constituted of several interviewees
from each of the different car dealers) in the sample was 20:78 (24%) as compared to 14:59 (26%) in
the target population. So, the proportion of new car dealers to second hand car dealers in the
sample was quite representative of the target population.
[FIGURE 3 OMITTED]
Figure 3 shows that 61% of respondents had been in business for above 5 years and therefore they
were very much aware of local and international trends.
[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]
The best selling car type was the Sedan car (1250-1800 cc) with a total of 68%, followed by the small
car (1000-1250 cc) with a percentage of 27%, as illustrated in Figure 4.
[FIGURE 5 OMITTED]
To better analyze the results obtained, the data were cross tabulated in Table 3 with the question as
to what categorizes the dealer's type of business with the question as to which percentage pays no
excise duty. 43 second hand vehicle dealers said that the percentage of buyers that pays no excise
duty were between 0 and 20% only, whereas for new car dealers, 11 said that their duty free
customers formed only 20-40% of their total customers.
Figure 6 shows that low fuel consumption (47%) seems to be the most important selection factor for
respondents. This may be due to the rise in fuel prices which happened in recent years. The next
important selection factor for respondents was comfort (22%) followed by resale value.
Figure 7 illustrates that the majority of respondents (86%) knew about the hybrid and this was quite
a good start. 8% had not heard about it.
[FIGURE 8 OMITTED]

6. Figure 8 points out that only 23 companies which knew about the hybrid technology had thought
about importing these cars, representing 27% of companies which knew about the hybrid
technology. The rest (73%) of those who knew about the hybrid technology claimed that the model of
the car that they sold did not exist as hybrid.
Figure 9 demonstrates that 48% of the respondents (early adopters) claimed that they would like to
adopt new technologies as soon as they are out, however due to the high market demand, new
technologies take at least six months before arriving in Mauritius as stated by different dealers.
However 21% claimed that it also depended on the market in terms of adaptability and wants (early
majority). Some dealers who were more precautious (17%) preferred to wait for some time before
adopting it (late majority).
[FIGURE 10 OMITTED]
The Innovation Diffusion curve for new technologies is depicted in Figure 10. It seemed that some
companies liked adopting new technologies quicker (early adopters) than the others. However the
risk was that these technologies may be either successful or not, that is why some preferred to be
cautious before adopting new technologies as the Mauritian market does not behave in the same
way as the international market and custom duty is higher on cars with optional equipment and
accessories.
Figure 11 shows that 62.2% of respondents thought that hybrid cars, the car of tomorrow, should
become a reality within ten years due to the government move of cutting all taxes by half.
However, dealers were still skeptical about the demand. 23.5% thought that the hybrid car is not the
car of the future and that it would not be adopted in Mauritius.
56% of respondents claimed that the introduction of the hybrid car would have an impact as it would
reduce the sales of conventional cars (Figure 12). In contrast, 26% thought that it would have its
own market and customers and the hybrid car sales would not affect sales of conventional cars. 18%
thought that the hybrid car has not been proven successful and it would not affect ICE car sales for
at least 10 years.
Figure 13 illustrates that the percentage (40.8%) of respondents who thought consumers were
concerned about the environment was nearly equal to the percentage (36.7%) of those who did not
think consumers cared about the environment. However, 22.4% of respondents thought their
customers sometimes cared about the environment. The response towards pollution, global warming
and C[O.sub.2] emission is quite positive, confirming that hybrid cars may well be adopted as it is a
greener car.
72% of the respondents believed that the potential danger that may arise in case of accidents due to
hybrid cars requiring high voltage for operation and causing short circuits was not of great concern.
Some respondents believed that all fuel was risky but that this issue must have been dealt with the
advanced technology being used in hybrid cars. Others believed that gasoline and LPG (liquefied
petroleum gas) were far more risky. The battery exploding in case of an accident was not of real
concern as the respondents said that gasoline was far more explosive and yet everybody drove these
cars. Most respondents that were interviewed said that they had never heard about an LPG car
explosion.
21% of respondents thought that the LPG conversion kit would be adopted more easily if specially
designed cars were to be introduced in Mauritius, however the majority, totaling 60%, believed that

7. LPG cars will not be successful here and 19 % believed that due to its inadaptability with certain
cars and unpredictable engine damage, it will be difficult for Mauritius to adopt it.
56% of respondents agreed that hybrid cars are not very powerful, with an average maximum speed
of 130 km/h and are more efficient only in the city stop and go cycle and that this may affect
customer choice. However, 19% thought this issue may not influence customer choice, taking into
consideration that maximum speed limit in Mauritius is only 90km/h on highway and 50km/h
elsewhere and the recent traffic overload.
66% claimed that the rise in fuel prices had not reduced car sales in recent years, as most customers
had started purchasing more economic cars, thus increasing sales. However, 34% claimed that their
car sales had gone down, probably because they were selling big engine cars. 60% of respondents
claimed that if oil prices continue to rise, importation and sales of hybrid cars this will not affect
their business and their profit margin will not be affected. 18% believed that this might increase
their market share and 22% believed that it would still depend on market trends and demand, before
venturing in something new.
From Figure 14, it can be seen that 77.55% of respondents strongly agreed and agreed that it was
due to lack of information on hybrid technology on the part of customers that the hybrid car had not
been adopted yet. The demand had to exist for the dealers to start importing. Only 12.24 % thought
customers knew about the hybrid technology.
The price of hybrid cars, though tax halved, was still thought to be more costly than normal ICE
cars. 66% of respondents agreed that the initial high price deterred them from investing in the
import and sales of such types of cars. Only 4% disagreed that the price deterred them from
importing hybrids.
79% of respondents agreed with the statement that the initial higher price of a hybrid electric car in
comparison to the ICE car would deter customers from buying this type of car. However, 13%
thought there would be customers who would be ready to pay the higher price. 8% of respondents
were neutral.
70% of respondents thought that customers were not interested in the hybrid technology since their
preferred automotive brand did not exist in the hybrid electric version. The best selling cars in
Mauritius were Japanese cars and Mauritians are very well bound to specific brands. However, 18%
of respondents claimed that customers would be ready to adopt any make as far as it helped
maintain low fuel consumption.
75% of respondents thought that the newly adopted measure by the government to reduce taxes,
excise duties, road tax and registration fees by half on hybrid cars in 2008, would surely be
beneficial and should help dealers and customers to find interest in this type of car. However, 24%
still believed that it would not be a strong motivating factor.
71% of repondents believed that past experience was worth more than advertising and that
advertising is done only to incite people to buy. Sales of hybrid electric vehicles would depend on
word-of-mouth and friends' direct experience with the car.
As per Figure 15, 15% of respondents disagreed and 13% strongly disagreed that customers would
be more attracted when they saw celebrities drive a hybrid car because the latter had been offered
these vehicles for the publicity they could make. 57% of respondents believed that celebrities could
help promote the image of hybrid technology in the world and the fact that these people used these

8. types of cars makes it worthwhile.
Conclusion
Hybrid cars have been a new market trend in the automobile industry because of their fuel economy
and low emissions. They provide motorists with an efficient and environment-friendly driving
experience that eases the financial burden related to the high cost of gasoline. However due to lack
of information, the market has not been exploited yet. Though sometimes supply brings in the
demand, there has to be a will to venture in such market. The Mauritian government (Sithanen,
2008) did the first step by lowering duty rates on hybrid vehicles and this will certainly incite dealers
to venture in the hybrid technology. In-depth analysis of the threats, exploiting of the opportunities,
capitalizing on the actual car industry strengths while minimizing risk and weaknesses of the car
industry will help make hybrid technology adoption easier. Car dealers were optimistic about the
future of hybrid cars in Mauritius with consumers being concerned about fuel economy, global
warming and environment protection. The most attractive segment of potential buyers seems to be
full duty sedan car buyers and they should be the ones to be targeted by hybrid car dealers.
As discussed in the paper, the hybrid technology car offers the most desirable benefits that most
common buyers look in a car. There are many inducement factors like low fuel consumption, less
smog pollutants in the air, less noise pollution, cost efficiency, lower duty rates and up to date
technology that certainly push towards the adoption of hybrid cars. So will hybrid technology going
to remain a myth in Mauritius?
Mauritians, in general are quite cautious about their expenses as the per capita income of citizens
was on average $12400 in 2009 (US Department of State, 2011) and many cannot afford to become
prey of a technology that may cost around $33 000 as new and duty-free or $20 000 as a 3-year
second hand car, if it has not been proven trustworthy. Forecasts and claims from different auto
manufacturers like Toyota, the world's number one vehicle manufacturer, however mentioned that
by 2015, all their cars will be only hybrid which does not give Mauritius much alternative. Other
manufacturers have already launched prototypes of hybrid cars but they have not mass produced it
yet. So the world trend is hybrid and if Mauritius does not want to lag behind, and then it is up to
everyone to start doing something in that direction.
To set the example, government cars must be hybrid and high class society that drive customer
choice should ride in hybrids. Awareness campaigns from concerned parties should be made on
various media as it is only through awareness that there will be adoption. Car agencies should not
practise excessive pricing on servicing and repair costs and customs duty must be waived off spare
parts and batteries. Launching of models of hybrid cars should be on all media and in the presence
of high personalities. Segmenting and positioning will certainly ease adoption.
The limitations of the study were that it was assumed that most of the car dealers had at least one
hybrid car within their range of models, which was not necessarily true given the limited number of
models manufactured by a few brands only. This study was also conducted among car dealers and it
was assumed that they were aware of consumer needs and wants in the car market. Future research
could be conducted on consumers to survey their willingness to adopt hybrid cars and any factors
which may hinder their adoption.
References
All-electric-vehicles.com. (2011), available at: http://www.all-electric-vehicles.com/hybrid-car
statistics.html (accessed on 26 January 2011).

9. EPA 2008, available at: http://www.epa.gov (accessed 25 August 2008).
Gable, C. and Gable, S. (2008), "Do Hybrids Cost More to Maintain?" available at:
http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/ hybridvehicles/f/hybridfaq1.htm (accessed on 15 May 2009)
Green Vehicles, available at: http://www.marklines.com/en/environmentalmodel/ environment index
en.jsp (accessed 28 July 2008).
Howstuffworks (2008), "How Catalytic Converters Work?" available at:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter1.htm (accessed 13 September 2008).
Hybridcar.com (2011), "Hybrid Market Forecast Research", available at:
http://www.hybridcar.com/index.php?option= com_contenttask=viewid=66Itemid=
45limit=1limitstart=12 (accessed on 26 January 2011).
HybridCARS (2006), "Hybrid Market Forecasts", available at:
http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-drivers/ hybrid-market-forecasts.html (accessed 28 July 2008).
Hybridcars.com (2006), "Behind the Hidden Costs of Hybrids", available at:
http://www.hybridcars.com/economics/ hidden-costs.html (accessed on 10 August 2008).
IBM (2008), "Automotive 2020 Global Study- New Breed of Consumers Seek Intelligent, Connected
and Hybrid Vehicles in 'Virtual Garages", available at:
http://www03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/24922.wss (accessed 1 August 2008).
Nocera, D. (2007), "Hydrogen Economy: Let the Sunlight do the Work". Science, 315 (5813), 789.
OICA, 2008, "Man-made C[O.sub.2] Emissions", available at: http://oica.net/category/climate change-
and-co2/ (accessed 18 August 2008).
Sithanen, R. (2008/09), "Budget Speech", available at: http://www.gov.mu/portal/
goc/mof/files/bud0809.pdf (accessed on 2 August 2008).
Tanaka, Y., Shigeta, Y. (2007), "Upcoming Advances in the Hybrid Vehicle Market", NRI Paper No.
114, available at: http://www.nri.co.jp/english/opinion/papers/ 2007/pdf/np2007114.pdf (accessed on
18 August 2008).
Toyota, (2006), "Hybrid QA", available at: http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynergyview/2006/
fall/battery.html (accessed on 25 August 2008).
Toyota Motor Corporation, 2008, available at: http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/08/0515.html
(accessed on 18 August 2008).
UK Department of Transport, 2008, available at: www.dft.gov.uk (accessed 20 August 2008). US
Department of State, 2011, "Background Note: Mauritius", available at: http://www.state.gov/
r/pa/ei/bgn/2833.htm (accessed on 27 January 2011).
US Energy Information Administration 2007, Short-term Energy Outlook, available at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/ steotfGlobal_Crude_Oil_And_Liquid_Fuels (accessed 28 August 2008).
Wikipedia, (2007), "Automobile", available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile, 2007

10. (accessed on 28 August 2008).
Wikipedia, (2008), "Hybrid electric vehicle", available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid electric
vehicle (accessed 20 August 2008).
Wikipedia (2011), "Toyota Prius", available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius (accessed
25 January 2011).
Dr. Rooma Roshnee Ramsaran-Fowdar can be contacted at: r.ramsaran-fowdar@cqu.edu.au
Mohummud Khaled Bhunnoo, Vanisha Oogarah-Hanuman, and Rooma Roshnee Ramsaran-Fowdar
(1) Mediterranean Shipping Company (Mauritius) Ltd, Mauritius
(2) University of Mauritius, Mauritius
(3) CQUniversity, Australia
Table 1: Toyota Prius Sales from 1997 to
September 2010 (Source: Wikipedia, 2011)
Annual sales worldwide and by region
(in thousands)
North
Year World Japan America U.S. Europe Other
1997 0.3 0.3
1998 17.7 17.7
1999 15.2 15.2
2000 19.0 12.5 5.8 5.6 0.7 0.01
2001 29.5 11.0 16.0 15.6 2.3 0.2
2002 28.1 6.7 20.3 20.1 0.8 0.2
2003 43.2 17.0 24.9 24.6 0.9 0.4
2004 125.7 59.8 55.9 54.0 8.1 1.9
2005 175.2 43.7 109.9 107.9 18.8 2.9
2006 185.6 48.6 109.0 107.0 22.8 5.3
2007 281.3 58.3 183.8 181.2 32.2 7.0

11. 2008 285.7 73.1 163.3 158.6 41.5 7.7
2009 404.2 208.9 144.3 139.7 42.6 8.4
Jan-Sept 2010 401.3 254.2 105.9 103.3 35.5 5.8
Cumulative Total 2,011 826.9 939.1 917.5 206.1 39.7
Table 2: Hybrid and Electric Car Sales (estimated) for 2010 by
region-compiled by all-electric-vehicles.com (2011) based on data
supplied by JD Power:
Overall Car Hybrid Car Hybrid %
R1C1 Sales (est.) Sales (est.) of Overall
USA 11,640,000 291,000 2.5%
Japan 4,472,700 492,000 11%
Europe 15,715,000 110,000 0.7%
Other 12,870,000 90,400 0.7%
TOTAL Worldwide 44,700,000 983,400 2.2%
Table 3 Cross-tabulation of percentage of respondents that pays
no excise duty with what best categorizes the type of business.
On average, among your car buyers, what is the percentage that
pays no excise duty * What best categorizes your type of
business? Cross tabulation
What best categorizes your type of
business?
Brand new Total
% vehicle Second hand
dealer vehicle dealer
On average, among your 0-20 3 43 46
car buyers, what is the 21-40 11 13 24

12. percentage that pays no 41-60 5 17 22
excise duty 61-80 0 5 5
81-100 1 0 1
Total 20 78 98
Figure 5: Percentage of customers paying excise duty
On average, among your car buyers, what is the percentage that
pays:
0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100
100 % excise duty 10.20 13.26 11.22 46.93 5.10
30 % excise duty 56.12 12.24 23.46 8.16 0.00
20 % excise duty 41.83 25.51 7.14 5.10 20.40
no excise duty 46.93 24.48 22.44 5.10 1.02
Note: Table made from bar graph.
Figure 6: Ranking of selection factors for cars.
Please rank the first priority that most customers
look in a good car.
Low fuel consumption 47%
Comfort 22%
Resale Value 18%
Brand 5%
Previous experience 7%
Others 1%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Figure 7: Percentage of respondents who had heard
about the hybrid technology
Have you ever heard about Hybrid technology?

13. Yes 86%
No idea 8%
Yes, but don't know much about it. 6%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Figure 9: Percentage of respondents that would like
adopting new technologies in the automotive market
Do you like adopting new technologies especially
in the automotive segment as soon as they are out?
Yes 48%
No 9%
After some time 17%
Depends on the market 21%
Only when I need to change 5%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
Figure 11: Number of years in which respondents thought hybrid
cars would be the car of the future
In how many years, do you see hybrid car as the car of
the future?
Never 23.5
11-20 years 14.3
1-10 years 62.2
Note: Table made from bar graph.
Figure 12: Impact on conventional car sales according
to respondents if the hybrid car was to be introduced
in Mauritius.
If hybrid car is to be introduced in Mauritius, do you

14. think it will impact conventional car sales?
Yes 56%
No 26%
At least not for the next decade 18%
Note: Table made pie chart.
Figure 13: Opinion on whether pollution, global warming and
the potential danger of C[O.sub.2], emissions are of concern
among respondents' customers.
In your opinion, do pollution, global warming and the
potential danger of CO2 emissions is of concern among
your customers?
Percentage
Yes 40.8
No 36.7
Sometimes 22.4
Note: Table made from bar graph.
Figure 14: Does lack of information or knowledge about the
hybrid car technology deter customers from looking into
this means of propulsion?
Do you think, lack of information or knowledge about the
hybrid electric technology deters customers from looking
into this means of propulsion?
Strongly agree 11.22
Agree 66.33
Neither agree nor disagree 10.20
Disagree 8.16

15. Strongly disagree 4.08
Note: Table made from line graph.
Figure 15: Level of agreement with the statement that hybrid
electric cars would become more attractive to customers when
they learn that celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Jamie Lee
Curtis and Tom Hanks are driving a hybrid car.
Hybrid electric cars have become more attractive to
me since I learnt that celebrities such as Cameron
Diaz, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Hanks are driving
one.
Strongly agree 9%
Agree 57%
Neither agree nor disagree 6%
Disagree 15%
Strongly disagree 13%
Note: Table made from pie chart.
COPYRIGHT 2011 Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the
copyright holder.
Copyright 2011 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.