MOTOR

LIOC to introduce Octane 91

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

The Sri Lankan petroleum market will benefit from the new product that will be introduced shortly by the Lanka Indian Oil Company.

The Octane 90 which is currently available in the market is the Sri Lankan standard of petrol and it meets the Euro 2 standard. However, globally vehicle manufacturing technology has advanced and the required petrol product exceeds the Euro 2 standard.

With the launching of the new product, Lanka IOC will meet the demand for change in the product standard, Lanka IOC Managing Director K.R. Suresh Kumar told Daily News Business.

Most of the vehicles manufactured at present require Euro 3 quality petrol and some even require Euro 4 quality products. The liberalized vehicle import policy of the government has facilitated new vehicles coming into the country which require Euro 3 quality. The Lanka IOC will market petrol of Euro 3 quality which will also meet the Sri Lankan standard, he said. The company will be importing this product shortly and it will be available in the market for new vehicles.

The new product will be distributed through the Lanka IOC network which has a wider reach. “We will also upgrade the quality of extra premium petrol and this improved product will include the Octane 91 that will meet Sri Lankan normal standard and Euro 3 standard,” Kumar said.

“Our concern at present is the current oil prices which is at an upward movement and seek government intervention to overcome the difficulties,” he said.

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ALFA Romeo - putting the passion back into driving

Jeremy Clarkson of BBC2’s ‘Top Gear’ quite rightly insists “You can’t claim to be a true petrol head until you’ve owned an Alfa”.

It’s an honest endorsement of a brand that lives and breathes passion for the driving experience.

While the Alfa Romeos of today have come a long way since the company’s first models rolled out in 1910, they have all remained true to the brand’s essence of creating and delivering the ultimate drive.

Alfa Romeo is an expression of passionate Latin creativity that embodies all the style and character that only the Italians can conjure up.

Its sporting heritage is unparalleled in the realms of motor sports and the fundamentals of performance, handling and safety of competition cars are incorporated into production models.

The Italian Thoroughbred Motorcar Company (ITCM) hailed the return of Alfa Romeo to Sri Lanka when they handed over the first new import to Ajantha De Abrew recently. It marks the beginning of a new dealership headed by some of the most enthusiastic driving aficionados in the country. With a clear and undiluted mission of putting passion back into driving, ITCM is set to import many more new and reconditioned Alfa’s shortly. The company will also bring down some of the other famous Italian Brands like Abarth, Maserati and Fiat.

Sri Lankan enthusiasts will note that at the heart of ITMC’s operation is a brand new purposed built workshop set up with foreign technical collaboration.

The workshop is headed by Indika Wickremesinghe who is an Italian car expert and founder member of the company.

Dayan Fernando, director states that “the company’s objective is not just to make happy drivers but happy owners as well. And so the workshop and service centre will be an integral part of the whole operation”.