Lubricants are essential to ensure the maintenance of cars – but choosing the right one which has the right quality and right price is not easy, especially for middle-income Thai drivers. To respond to this, PETRONAS Lubricants International launched its latest product offering, PETRONAS Nexta, to solve this conundrum for these drivers to “Choose Smart.”
After its launch on 29 August at Millenium Hilton Bangkok, Uday Kumar, PETRONAS Lubricants International Group Industrial Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia Cluster said that PETRONAS Lubricants International has long been on the threshold of innovating new products. One of their premium lubricants, PETRONAS Syntium, is well-known amongst the world of Formula One (F1) and luxury car drivers; even considered to be the best in lubricant technology.
Upon conducting a thorough market assessment, it became apparent to them that there are not many lubricants that respond to the needs of middle-income car drivers who seek quality with value-for-money prices. Especially among Thai drivers from the middle-income group – or the Middle Segment, which is considered as the major segment of car drivers in Thailand.
PETRONAS Lubricants has done extensive research at their Global Research & Technology (GR&T) Centre in Turin, Italy, and developed the new formulation of lubricants that could meet the needs of the Middle Segment, helping Thai drivers to make the smart choice with PETRONAS Nexta.
Uday explained that PETRONAS Nexta offers longer drain interval via enhanced resistance to oxidation, helps to keep their engine clean, ensuring better defense to the vital engine component, and expands engine life expectancy; all at an affordable price.
“It is about making smart choices when we make PETRONAS Nexta available for consumers,” he added.
He shared that PETRONAS Lubricants chose Thailand as the introductory market for this product and will soon expand across Asia’s key markets in the next 6-12 months, where the demography of consumers seeks high-quality lubricants at affordable prices.
Pipop Ponsean, PETRONAS International Marketing (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Chief Executive Officer shared that in the local Thai perspective since the establishment of the PETRONAS Lubricants International office in Thailand back in 2006, they catered mainly to the high-end consumers, specifically high-end car owners who relied on PETRONAS Syntium for their engine oil.
He explained that when looking at the Thai drivers’ market, apart from housing, Thais consider owning a car as the second most important asset in their life. This also includes those from the Middle Segment which is one of the larger segments of market consumers, and PETRONAS Lubricants was yet to fill in that gap. Hence, the introduction of PETRONAS Nexta is aimed to fulfill the demand while empowering Thai drivers to Choose Smart.
“By solely offering premium products [for prestige], you miss out on competing in the Middle Segment. [Besides], even in the economic downturn, when the Middle Segment consumers want to choose something to purchase, they have to think a lot [about quality and affordability], therefore, PETRONAS Lubricants International has developed PETRONAS Nexta, aiming to close that gap while offering the better choice to Thai consumers from this segment,” he said.
As a local Thai working at PETRONAS, he shared that the company views Thai consumers as family, in which they are committed to provide exceptional service to their family members. “We strive to do our best for the people who matter to us and that includes the Thai people,” he concluded.
PETRONAS Nexta is now available in the Thai market at authorised PETRONAS workshops, spare part and retail outlets across the country. Seize this opportunity to ‘Choose Smart’ and protect your engine with top-notch quality at an unbeatable price.
