OTL Lube takes a crack at China’s high-end lube market

Hong Kong-based OTL Group is taking a crack at China’s high-end lubricant market, by launching semi- and fully synthetic gasoline engine oils manufactured in Saudi Arabia and shipped to China in one-litre and four-litre bottles.

OTL’s fully synthetic gasoline engine oils, branded as SynXtra, are available in five viscosity grades: 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-20, 5W-30 and 5W-40. Semi-synthetic engine oils, branded as SynNeo, are available in two viscosity grades: 5W-40 and 10W-40.

General Manager Henry Li said OTL Lube’s fully synthetic products not only meet the API SN specification, but also ACEA A3/B3 and A3/B4. In its product brochure, SynXtra 0W-40 also claims to meet the following OEM specifications: BMW Long Life 01, Porsche A40, MB 229.5/229.3 and VW 502.00/505.00.

OTL Lube’s products are manufactured by The Arabian Petroleum Supply Company (APSCO), which has a 55,000 metric tonne lubricant blending plant per shift per year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In the future, OTL Lube also plans to sell diesel engine oils and aviation lubricants, Li said.

Li added that OTL Lube will primarily sell its products through its car dealerships in China, where it sells Audi and Honda cars, as well as through the traditional distributor channels. “We will have a competitive package for our distributors. As you know the market in China is very, very competitive.”

“As you know, the China market is the most important market in the world, and every year it’s still growing. High-end cars are sold in China more and more every year. Chinese people continue to upgrade their cars and their new model of cars is the most advanced car model as well. That’s why we targeted the high-end market first, to give our brand prestige.

“We need to build our brand as the most competitive. The most important high-end brands in China are Mobil, Shell and Castrol. So we are targeting them. For lubricant product quality, we are not below their products. We are very confident about our product quality,” Li said.