Where are Mobil and Esso engine oils made?

Section Mobil and Esso, article 1 of 4229 words, 2 minutes

In this section: 4 articles
  1. Where are Mobil and Esso engine oils made?
  2. The quality of Mobil oils
  3. The history of Mobil
  4. How the Mobil and Esso brands came to be

Production of Mobil engine oils Exxon Mobil Corporation's main production capacity is in the USA, but it also has refineries in Europe and Turkey. Engine oils officially supplied to the CIS are produced in Finland and Turkey, while the base oils themselves are made mostly at Exxon Mobil's largest European plant, in Gravenchon (Normandy peninsula, France). The same plant also turns out finished products (engine oils and lubricants) for Western European countries. That's why private ("grey") suppliers sometimes carry Mobil automotive oils of French origin.

Beyond that, unofficial supplies of Mobil oils straight from the USA have been growing lately. This is mostly because some Mobil automotive oils aren't yet made in Europe (for instance, the low-viscosity, fuel-saving Mobil 1 grades — 0W-20, 5W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30 — and certain mineral-based oils).

Despite the rumours actively circulating about Mobil and Esso oils being bottled in Russia and Ukraine, there are no official Exxon Mobil production facilities in CIS countries (not yet, at least). What's most likely going on is "grey" producers who buy the oil in barrels, order packaging identical to the original, and bottle the oil into 1 and 4 litre cans by artisanal means. Such oils can safely be classed as counterfeit, since nobody takes any responsibility for what's actually in the can, and even if it really is Mobil product, there's no guarantee it's the exact oil stated on the can's label.