Johannesburg, 13 August 2007 – International fuel company, TOTAL South Africa today launched a lower fuel consumption, lower emissions and cost-efficient petroleum product, named EVOLUTION, which allows consumers to travel further on a full tank.

Evolution was introduced to the market at a media event held at The Grace Hotel in Rosebank, where TOTAL also unveiled the product's creative broadcast advert. TOTAL South Africa CEO Philip Jordan and Retail General Manager Craig Lourens addressed members of the media at the event.

Evolution is an exclusive range of high performance fuels targeted at the general motoring public. Contained within the local range are TOTAL Evolution Unleaded 95 and 93.

This new fuel contains innovative additives, which are exclusive in South Africa to the TOTAL Evolution range. These additives have many new properties including their adaptation to be cleaner for the new generation of engines, and reduction of wear and tear in the engine. Each one of these properties contributes to a considerable reduction in fuel consumption.

TOTAL Evolution was developed exclusively for TOTAL in response to the demand from new engine technologies as well as motorists who have waited for the creation of new products that will aid in the reduction of exhaust pollution. It is designed for all petrol cars currently running on unleaded petrol and allows drivers of the cars to benefit from a new detergent additive specifically formulated to remove harmful deposits left behind from the previous use of standard fuels.

According to Philip Jordan, the South African market has reached a point where there is an unprecedented demand for a lower consumption fuel to balance the high inflation rate of the economy and the high cost of living. The strategic development of Evolution therefore addresses customer expectations and much needed relief on their pockets.

Jordan said, “With the launch of new TOTAL Evolution advanced fuels, filling up less often now becomes a reality. Engineers and technicians worked for more that two years at the Group's research centres to develop the innovative and exclusive additives contained within TOTAL evolution. This product demonstrates that we really are serious about providing an excellent service to our customers”.

In terms of competitor positioning, Evolution offers the following benefits:

• Increased performance
• Reduction of your vehicle's emissions of NOx and CO2 by up to 5%. High levels of pollutions have been linked to a range of health problems. These considerable reductions mean that TOTAL Evolution produces cleaner exhaust emissions for cleaner, healthier air.
• New detergent in the fuels which clean the most sensitive parts in modern engines, especially areas involved with petrol injection.
• Reduction of wear and tear in the engine.
• Consumption is reduced with continual use over a sustained period, giving consumers more kilometers per tankful.
• Longer periods before fill-ups

The fuel can be used in any engine that runs on unleaded petrol and can be mixed with all unleaded petrols. However, exclusive use of Evolution will guarantee maximum results.

The rationale behind launching a new range of fuels emanated from research (IPOS Barometer 2004) that revealed that 22% of customers are waiting for an alternative that will translate to lower fuel consumption. TOTAL believes that the solution to consumer needs is contained within the additives that are exclusive to the TOTAL Evolution fuels range.

The fuel underwent more than 3 000 hours of tests in diverse driving conditions using over 80 different vehicles with over 300 000kms of testing. Tests, such as rolling road, circuit and normal driving conditions were used to develop the exclusive additives used in TOTAL Evolution unleaded petrol.

TOTAL Evolution will be on sale at selected service stations in Gauteng from 19 August 2007 and during September will become available from selected sites throughout the country. 

For further information contact:

Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager
Nolundi Rawana
Tel: (011) 778 2252
Email: nolundi.rawana@total.co.za

Corporate Communications Manager
Faye-Marie Abdo
Tel: (011) 778 2162
Email: faye-marie.abdo@total.co.za