Bangkok Post (Thailand): Shell scores with sales of gasohol 95: “Three months after Shell Thailand launched a campaign to guarantee engines using gasohol 95, sales of its fuel have risen sharply.”: Friday November 11, 2005
Three months after Shell Thailand launched a campaign to guarantee engines using gasohol 95, sales of its fuel have risen sharply.
As a result, the company is considering plans to stop selling premium or octane 95 petrol before the government's deadline to phase out the fuel by January 2007.
"We will stop selling [premium gasoline] immediately once the local supply of ethanol can meet our demand and that of other oil companies alike, probably in the middle of next year for Shell," said Supan Sutthisarn, general manager for retail sales.
Shell purchases 60,000 litres of ethanol per day from Thai Alcohol Co to blend with gasoline in a 10:90 ratio to produce gasohol 95.
With the country's fourth and fifth ethanol plants coming online soon there will be sufficient ethanol stock to meet rising demand.
Shell gasohol 95 was very well received by motorists, particularly after the launch of a guarantee campaign in early August.
The company promised to take full responsibility for repair costs for any engines and fuel distribution systems arising from the use of its gasohol, on condition that the cars and motorcycles were compatible with gasohol as certified by auto companies.
The sales volume of Shell gasohol 95 has risen dramatically over the last three months to 21 million litres sold each month, from 10 million litres in the previous three.
Shell said this shows that the guarantee was well received by customers who trusted in the company's fuel.
Shell's share in the gasohol market over three months also expanded to 24% from 19% previously.
According to Mr Supan, the company is moving to expand gasohol sales to cover the entire network by the end of this year.
"We will enhance the distribution of Shell gasohol 95 to cover 600 service stations nationwide from 480 at present at the end of this year to better respond to increasing demand," he said.
To safeguard and expand its share in the gasohol market, the company is running another campaign from this month until December during which 100 customers will receive free tanks full of Shell gasohol 95 every week.
Copyright © Asia Intelligence Wire
Click here to return to ShellNews.net HOME PAGE