Mercedes-Benz India flags fuel adulteration concerns amid E20 rollout

Mercedes-Benz India says suspected fuel adulteration is adding to customer concerns around E20 petrol, with some fuel quality issues being mistaken for problems caused by ethanol blending. The luxury carmaker said it has seen a rise in customer queries around E20 fuel. “We’ve seen a lot of anxiety, with a lot of customers asking us and our dealerships,” Mercedes-Benz India managing director and CEO Santosh Iyer said.

1. Mercedes-Benz says customer queries around E20 fuel have increased
2. Dealer network equipped with FAQs to address customer concerns
3. Latest S-Class hybrid already compatible with E25 fuel

Mercedes-Benz clarifies concerns around E20 fuel

Speaking during the company’s half-yearly sales call, Iyer said the company has equipped its dealer network with FAQs to help address customer concerns around E20 fuel. 

He added that Mercedes-Benz’s latest models are already compatible with higher ethanol blends and said the company is not concerned about E20 compliance. “We were one of the first to get materially compliant E20 cars, as well as emission-compliant E20 cars. The new S-Class hybrid is already an E25-compliant car,” he said.

Mercedes urges stricter checks on fuel quality

Iyer said some cases of poor-quality fuel are being mistaken for issues related to E20 petrol, making it difficult to distinguish fuel adulteration from genuine ethanol-related concerns. “We have seen increased fuel adulteration happening under the garb of E20, which is also causing concern because we have some customers who may not have filled the right quality of fuel, and then explaining it to them may be challenging,” he said.

He said stronger enforcement at fuel stations would help distinguish genuine fuel-quality issues from concerns related to E20, reducing confusion among customers. “So this is something for the enforcement agencies and regulators to check because under this E20, even we can see a bit of proliferation of fuel adulteration, which is causing anxiety and concern among customers,” he said.