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It has been nearly a week since branded or premium petrol and diesel prices were hiked substantially. While some petrol bunk owners say that there has been a substantial drop in sales, there are vehicle owners who are standing staunchly by their choice of branded fuel.
Premium petrol, which was being sold at Rs 74.95 is currently selling at Rs 81.69 according to dealers. Branded diesel saw a more substantial hike with prices shooting up to Rs 70.11 from the previous Rs 49.98 it was selling at. Keeping this in mind, one would think that their sale would have dropped drastically; but Chennai’s premium vehicle owners say otherwise.
Amrutha, whose family owns two premium cars, says that it does not make sense for them to switch over to normal fuel.
“We have been using premium diesel for our cars since we bought them. Since we’ve paid so much for the car, it doesn’t matter that we need to shell out a little more. It’s the car that matters.”
Varun, a staunch premium fuel user, gives out another reason people opt to stay with higher priced fuel. “Petrol prices have been increasing steadily and it stands to reason that it will still go up to higher levels. If I’ve been using premium fuel, I wouldn’t go back to normal fuel and still end up paying the same.”
For the uninitiated, premium or branded fuel is a more refined version of the normal unleaded fuel. Car enthusiasts say that premium fuel has fewer pollutants which leave far fewer residues on the engine than normal fuel. “This gives better performance and a longer engine life for the vehicles.”
However, petrol bunk authorities paint a different picture. Gopi, a supervisor at a bunk in Anna Nagar says, “We’ve seen a drop of at least 50 per cent at our bunk. There are loyal customers, but those who switch are the mid-range vehicle owners whose pockets are being pinched.” Gopi says that they sell anywhere from 300 to 500 litres of premium fuel in a day.
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