Indian Oil Corporation introduced branded gasoline fuels in the country with higher Octane ratings aimed at better mileage and increased efficiency of the engine and much higher pickup.

ND Mathur, Chief General Manager, Retail Sales, Karnataka, told BusinessLine that in January this year, Indian Oil launched its super-premium XP100 at a price of ₹160 per litre targeted at high-performance passenger cars and racing car enthusiasts. Only seven countries in the world produce this 100 Octane petrol. This has met the need of racing enthusiasts who had to add octane boosters to raise octane levels. As of now, 45 cities have access to XP100 and soon, the rest of the country will too.

Also see: IOC to invest ₹1 lakh cr to expand refining capacity: Chairman

Indian Oil also introduced a 95 Octane rating fuel for all performance enthusiasts in May’21, with higher octane than normal petrol. The XP95 has been priced with a markup compared with XP91. However, it offers superior pick up and protects the engine, Mathur said.

“Indian Oil has been the pioneer in launching branded fuel in the country. We want to ensure that our customers have access to better technology and superior fuel ahead of the competition,” he added.

Branded fuels

Indian Oil introduced its first branded fuel in 2000 called XP91, compared to the normal fuel of XP87 with a higher octane rating giving much better performance and pickup. XP91 constituted nearly 25 per cent of the total sale of petrol by the company across the country.

A branded diesel called XtraMile was also introduced which cleaned the entire fuel injection system. The introduction of the new variant showed immediate results as the fuel efficiency of vehicles went up. However, in 2007, the government introduced additional excise duty on branded fuels which resulted in fuel prices going up by around ₹1.5 per litre. It led to branded diesel consumption going down as it is extremely price-sensitive. However, discerning customers continued to buy Xtrapremium petrol due to the added advantages of better mileage and engine protection.

Experts say that the higher an octane number, the more stable is the fuel. Hence, XP100 and XP95 petrol variants are seen as more stable and resistant to ‘knocking’, and are a better choice when it comes to engine protection.

Mathur recalled IOC Chairman Srikant Madhav Vaidya’s decision to indigenously produce XP100 and XP95 from capable IndianOil refineries and in-house R&D. He said with the introduction of BSVI emission norms, Indian Oil has invested around ₹20,000 crore on upgrading refineries.

Even the industry association SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) has asked oil marketing companies to switch over to 95 octane gasoline, Mathur said.