简体中文
By APD writer Muhammad Sohail
**ISLAMABAD, Nov. 6 (APD) ** -- Auto assemblers and oil industry executives in Pakistan expressed surprise and confusion over the complaint filed by Honda that petrol in Pakistan is not of standard quality, which is damaging engines of its vehicles.
Honda Atlas, a joint venture between Honda Motor and Atlas Group in Pakistan, had complained that low-quality petrol in Pakistan carries higher-than-recommended levels of manganese additive, which has caused forced suspension of the production of 1.5L Turbo Civic in the country.
Ali Asghar Jamali, chief executive officer of Indus Motor Company, said on Monday morning “We have received no complaints along these lines. Our company has four different engine classes that are all Euro II-compliant and none has reported any such issue.”
An executive at Pak-Suzuki Motor Company, whose engines are also Euro II-compliant, said the same thing “We have received no such complaints from our customers so far.”
A senior official at Honda Atlas described his company’s stance with a different angle, saying “Honda engines are Euro IV class, meaning their fuel requirements are more refined. Our engines have not any kind of the issue, but the fuel causes problems not in the engine but in the catalytic converter”.
“The high levels of manganese and sulfur in the fuel cause the converter to choke. All cars with a catalytic converter can experience this problem in the days to come. We suspended the production of the 1.5L Turbo Civic a few months ago for this reason,” said the official, who opined on condition of anonymity.
The 1.5L Turbo Civic model was launched in Pakistan in July 2016 with much fanfare as the potential flagship offering in its engine size.
The Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), the body that represents all oil marketing companies and refineries, also rebuked the complaint by Honda.
“We would like to state that all fuel being sold in the country is strictly in accordance with the approved specifications issued by the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum Division. Therefore, the question of the sale of poor quality fuel does not arise,” said the statement.
A number of oil executives have also rejected the Honda complains and said that manganese is a normal product to be found in any vehicular fuel and is used as an octane-booster all over the world, and in Pakistan, it is “within the specifications set by the government”.
Iftikhar Ahmad, an oil expert, brushed the Honda complain aside and said “These are branded fuels, which are being sold in Pakistan. You cannot tamper with their contents.”
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
