The company will now be able to use Top Tier trademarks [image-nocss] in the promotion, sale and distribution of its gasoline products.
"We're extremely pleased and honored to have our PLUS gasoline fuels licensed by the Top Tier organization," said Jon Lantz, CountryMark vice president of marketing. "This designation will let the automotive world know that our home-grown, All-American CountryMark gasoline is a world-class product and an excellent value for our customers."
Top Tier detergent gasoline standards were developed by four auto manufacturers (BMW, GM, Honda and Toyota) to create a winning situation for consumers, auto manufacturers and gasoline retailers. Currently, many gasoline retailers provide fuels with lower-quality additive packages that can build up deposits on fuel injectors and intake valves, creating a negative impact on engine performance and vehicle responsiveness.
By contrast, Top Tier is a new class of gasoline containing enhanced detergency that the company said exceeds the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intake valve deposit standards. This translates into optimum performance for today's modern fuel-injected engines through better fuel economy, cleaner air, longer engine life, unsurpassed anticorrosion protection and fuel stability, it said.
"The Top Tier performance package in our PLUS gasoline is the new voluntary gold standard for gasoline detergency," said CountryMark sales manager Steve Thomas. "It's added value for the consumer."
To earn the Top Tier designation, prospective gasoline retailers must meet stringent standards and have all grades of their gasoline approved. In addition, all gasoline outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the Top Tier standards.
CountryMark began adding its proprietary PLUS formula to its gasoline products in August 2008. In addition to the Top Tier performance package, the PLUS line also has two other distinct features: it is made from 100% American crude oil, and it includes a 10% blend of ethanol made from corn grown by Indiana farmers, the company said.
The PLUS package is available in all octane choices at all CountryMark retail and commercial fuel sites.
Click herefor the full list of Top Tier retailers.
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