Castrol India in lubricants marketing pact with Ford's Volvo India

Castrol India has tied up with Volvo Cars India to supply its high-performance lubricants to the auto manufacturer. Volvo Cars, a division of Ford India, was launched in September 2007.

Ford has proposed introducing two of Volvo's premium models in India - the Volvo S80 luxury sedan and the Volvo XC90 sports utility vehicle with three engine offerings; 2.5 litre (diesel), 3.2 litre (petrol) and 4.4 litre (petrol) that will be available on both the models respectively and will have a semi-automatic gearbox.

The company proposes to introduce the two brands for Rs38 lakh, and Rs45 lakh respectively. (See: In the lap of luxury: Volvo enters India with two cars) The company is due to announce the launch dates for the two models. The vehicles, which were originally due for entry on Indian roads at the end of 2006, were delayed due to certain issues in meeting the homologation requirements. They had been undergoing the homologation process at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)

Under the agreement, Castrol will supply its highest technology product - Castrol Edge, for exclusive service fill to all Volvo dealers in India. Before the approval from Volvo, they successfully tested Castrol Edge for over 100,000 km in field trials across India, over a period of one year. All Volvo cars sold in India will be pre-filled with Castrol lubricants.

"Volvo has partnered with Castrol globally and so when we launched Volvo cars in India, Castrol was our first choice," said Paul de Voijs, managing director, Volvo Car India. "We are confident that Castrol India will provide us with the highest level of quality and product technology backed by world class service which we receive from Castrol companies across the world. Castrol's width and depth of distribution will ensure that Volvo dealers are well supported across the country."

AS Ramchander, automotive director, Castrol India Ltd, said, "I am very happy that Volvo Cars have made an entry into India. They believe in 'responsible luxury' and focus strongly on safety, something that is very close to Castrol as well. Besides supplying products and services, we are also exploring possibilities of working together in the areas of Safety and Environment. Castrol is the leading automotive lubricant brand in India and globally as well. Castrol Edge is a specially formulated engine oil of premium quality, engineered to meet the toughest and most demanding performance standards. Castrol EDGE guarantees that the car's engine delivers everything it should, and a little bit more."

Castrol India Limited is a public limited company in which Castrol Limited, UK, a part of BP Group worldwide, holds 70.92 per cent of the paid-up capital. Starting as a trading unit in India, Castrol has emerged the largest lubricant company in the retail automotive segment. Castrol has constantly demonstrated its commitment to Indian consumers by offering excellent products, backed by the highest level of customer service. Castrol India is acknowledged as the technology leader in the Indian lubricant industry.