Motor Image, Motul Announce Partnership

Motor Image--the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles across nine territories in Asia--and French-owned lubricant specialist Motul have jointly announced their partnership to develop and supply a line of exclusive lubricant products for Subaru vehicles in the region. Motor Image will be the first vehicle distributor that Motul is partnering globally and the deal will currently cover eight territories: Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Under the deal, Motul will supply the specially-developed and formulated oils for Motor Image distributorship and dealerships in the region. These oils, developed in Japan, will be used in all of its aftersales and service centers. Customers will have access to premium quality lubricants, such as 100 percent synthetic engine oils, at competitive prices, giving customers a superior aftersales service, available only at Motor Image’s facilities and dealerships. The licensing and partnership deal, valued at USD5 million per annum to start, signifies both companies' interest in the growing Asian region for the automotive sector. The two-year deal, with the option to extend, is expected to increase 10 percent in value yearly. "Subaru has been closely linked with Motul since its motorsports racing days, and Motul is closely associated with the STI brand. At Motor Image we have had an over 10-year relationship. Motul specially formulated lubricants for Subaru cars, taking into account the weather and other conditions, when we took part in the Asia Pacific Rally Championships. We are happy to partner Motul again, to re-establish a long-term relationship to provide the best quality products for our Subaru customers," said Glenn Tan, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director, Tan Chong International Limited. "Motorsports is part of Motul’s DNA, and Motul has been closely linked with Subaru and the STI brand since the Subaru World Rally Team competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC) back in the 1980s. Today, Motul is very pleased to be collaborating with Motor Image to provide an exclusive line-up of lubricant products and customer experience for its Subaru customers. We believe this regional collaboration will further strengthen its partnership with Subaru beyond just Motorsports," said Masaki Shimizu, Chairman, Motul of Japan KK. The first of the exclusive Subaru lubricant product line-up to be launched, from January 2019, include Subaru Engine Oils by Motul--the 0W20 and the 5W30. These 100 percent synthetic oils have been specially researched and developed in Japan, and licensed for retail exclusively at Subaru outlets. Both companies will also be working on marketing the lubricant products and merchandise from the partnership as part of Motor Image's plans to enhance the customer experience journey for Subaru customers across the region. Plans include co-branded space and exclusive merchandise at Subaru outlets. The Subaru Engine Oils by Motul are available across Subaru service centers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan now, and subsequently in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam by March 2019.