Indias largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, has launched the Ecstar brand of lubricants and coolants in the country, a move that may intensify competition among lube suppliers in the worlds third-largest lubricant market.
The automaker will initially offer Ecstar products to customers at its recently launched Nexa service workshops and would gradually introduce them to the companys full service network of over 3,000 workshops across the country, Maruti Suzuki said in a statement.
Indias 2.4 million metric tons finished lubricants market is dominated by three national oil companies – Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd., Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd., and Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. – as well as private players including BPs Castrol India Ltd., Tide Water Oil Co. and Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd.
Several lube suppliers have tie-ups with original equipment manufacturers, and the entry of the Ecstar brand could increase competition among players as they seek to grow their market share in the country.
Maruti Suzuki said it would procure Ecstar products like injector cleaner and automatic transmission oil from select local suppliers in the country.Ecstar, which is currently available across Europe, America, Mexico, Australia and Southeast Asia, was launched by Maruti Suzukis parent Suzuki Motor Corp. in 1984.