Ineos declared force majeure last month on supply of low-viscosity polyalphaolefins after an unexpected disruption to feedstock supply involving facilities in Texas. The company informed customers on Jan. 19 that it was implementing allocations and that it expects production to return to normal within 30 days of that date, according to an official with a lubricant marketer that received the notice and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Base oil production in Brazil fell by nearly a fifth in 2020, and output was still off by about that much during the fourth quarter, according to recently released government data. Base oil imports were up for the year, with the largest spikes in volumes occurring early in the second quarter and late in the year.

Sales of new light vehicles in the United States declined by 15% to 14.5 million units in 2020 due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to organizations and companies that track data from U.S. automobile dealers and original equipment manufacturers.