FORMULA SHELL : FIRST TO GO 100% UNLEADED NATIONWIDE
31/10/1998
Kuala Lumpur
Shell Malaysia held a press conference in its headquarters today to announce that it was the first in industry to go totally unleaded nationwide. This was Shell's response in support of the government's mandate to oil companies to phase-out leaded gasoline by 1st January 1999.
At the press conference attended by some 80 journalists and senior Shell executives, Mr Michiel Mak, General Manager, Retail Business (Oil Products sector) told the press, "With effect from 31 October 1998, all Shell stations in Peninsular Malaysia will be totally unleaded, and by 1 December 1998, all Shell stations in Sabah and Sarawak will be totally unleaded as well."
He added that, "There will now be two grades of unleaded Formula Shell to suit the octane requirements of all vehicles : Formula Shell Super Unleaded (97 Octane) which is currently in the market and Formula Shell Regula Unleaded (92 Octane) which replaces the leaded gasoline. The price of the Regular Unleaded will be the same as the leaded gasoline it replaces.
Educating the public to go totally unleaded
Encik Mohzani Wahab, General Manager, Brand and Customer Service (Oil Products sector) said that "Shell has also mounted a comprehensive communications campaign to promote understanding and use of unleaded gasoline (ULG) among its leaded gasoline customers and the general motoring public."
The thrust of the campaign is two-fold: a brand-building campaign on TV for Formula Shell, as well as press and point-of-sale support for the launch of Formula Shell Regular Unleaded. The campaign is re-inforced with customer education material in the form of posters and leaflets. Mohzani Wahab added that "All this information will help Malaysian motorists to make an informed decision on switching confidently to ULG."
Anticipated and frequently-asked questions from the public are addressed in the customer education brochure available at all Shell stations. The company has also established a hotline for the public to call (The number is also listed in the brochure). The communications campaign is also posted on the Shell Malaysia homepage (
www.shell.com.my) as well as in the Shell-Ferrari Website (http://press.shell-ferrari.com)
Mohzani Wahab added that "Shell is confident that ULG will satisfy the needs of the motoring public in Malaysia." The company also called upon the press corps to help the industry drive home the message that ULG can be used by all vehicles - including old ones - so long as they are driven under normal conditions and everyday circumstances.
Pioneer of ULG
Shell has been the pioneer and at the forefront of developing unleaded gasoline (ULG) worldwide. Today, it the largest marketer of unleaded fuels through the largest network of retail outlets worldwide.
In Malaysia, Shell pioneered the introduction of ULG in 1990 and was the first to make this product available at selected outlets. Concurrent with this, Shell worked with various Government authorities (such as the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Department of Environment) and the motoring and consumer associations to promote the use of ULG among the public - culminating in the full market launch of December 1991.
Over a period of seven years since 1991, ULG sales today constitute some 80% of total petrol sales in Malaysia, which is a remarkable and very healthy achievement for any developing country.
According to Michiel Mak, "This was a credit to the Malaysian motoring public who have adopted ULG with little reservation and largely for its benefits as an environmentally-friendly fuel. It is certainly a credit also to the key government departments such as the DOE and the MDTCA which have provided the continuous support as well as the long-standing price incentive to encourage Malaysians to switch to ULG."
Issued by the Shell Malaysia Corporate Affairs dept.
For more information please contact;
Lina Yap Abdullah at
Tel : 03-2512252, 019-3232780
Fax : 03-2512990
Email :
[email protected]
