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Tuned and Toned: New Survey Shows Vehicle Health Shares Front Seat With Personal Health

Posted on: Tuesday, 15 July 2008, 09:01 CDT

HOUSTON, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- What do maintaining proper tire pressure and healthy blood pressure have in common? A recent poll reveals that Americans place nearly equal importance on vehicle health and personal health. Results of the nationwide survey(1) commissioned by Shell show 73 percent of Americans go out of their way to make sure their cars are in tip-top condition through maintenance, while 68 percent go out of their way to keep physically fit through regular exercise. Similarly, the survey shows 40 percent bring their cars in for maintenance at least once every 5,000 miles, and 35 percent go to the doctor more than once a year. This begs the question...so what are the links between personal healthcare and vehicle maintenance habits?

Prevention pays

Just as prevention is the key to good health, it's also the key to good auto health. While many understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including stocking up on fruits and veggies (68 percent), a large majority (63 percent) also go out of the way to make sure their vehicles use only the best parts and accessories. And they say that they can feel the difference -- 76 percent say eating right has a noticeable effect on how healthy they feel, and 73 percent say they can feel the difference when their vehicle's engine is clean and responsive. However, while many notice the positive effects of eating right, U.S. drivers often don't realize the beneficial effects of using high-quality fuels and lubricants for protecting vehicle health.

"Just like choosing nutritional foods at the grocery store is a simple way to be healthy, filling up with high-quality gasoline is an easy change motorists can make to help protect their vehicles," says Sam Memmolo, ASE-certified mechanic and Shell spokesperson, Dr. FuelGood(TM). "It's important to take simple steps to protect the investment in your vehicle."

A healthy car is a happy car

Neglecting one's personal health can lead to loss of energy and ongoing health issues the same way neglecting your vehicle health can impact engine performance and lead to long-term maintenance issues. The biggest maintenance issue for America's vehicles according to 39 percent of respondents is the build-up of gunk in engines, which most (60 percent) described as similar to fat clogging blood vessels. But it doesn't take a dramatic life change to make a difference -- you can avoid vehicle health problems through regular maintenance and using a high-quality gasoline.

Top automakers -- Audi, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen -- agree fuel quality is important to help keep engines clean. They introduced the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standard and recommend motorists use fuels that meet the standard, like Shell.

And the winners are...

Looking across all health metrics, sedan owners tend to have the best vehicle and personal health across the board (73 percent), whereas sports car, pick-up truck and motorcycle owners tend to care more for their vehicle's health than their own. Regionally(2), Tucson, Ariz. houses the healthiest vehicles, while New York, Los Angeles and Nashville are the least healthy markets for vehicles.

Take action!

Understanding the growing importance of keeping America's vehicles healthy, Dr. FuelGood and Shell have launched "Americans for a Gunk-Free Nation" (AGFN) to help protect the nation's engines from gunk. AGFN hopes to educate American consumers about how to improve the state of vehicle health in the U.S.

"If you want your vehicle to feel good, you must fuel well," says Memmolo. "Help your car perform at its best by choosing a high-quality gasoline, like Shell -- it meets the TOP TIER standard and stops gunky build-up on critical engine parts."

For additional information on gunk-free living, visit the Americans For a Gunk-Free Nation Web site at http://www.shell.us/livegunkfree where you can read Dr. FuelGood's blog, participate in discussion boards and much more!

Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, and has a network of approximately 6,600 branded gasoline stations in the Midwest and Western United States. Motiva Enterprises LLC refines and markets branded products through more than 9,000 branded stations in the Eastern and Southern United States. Shell Oil Company is a 50 percent owner of Motiva Enterprises LLC, along with Saudi Refining, Inc. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Shell Group [ and ]. For more information, please visit http://www.shell.com/us.

(1)StrategyOne conducted this nationwide telephone survey on behalf of Shell Oil Products U.S. between April 27 and May 4, 2008 among 1,019 licensed American drivers, ages 16+. Margin of error for the entire sample is +/- 3.1 percent. New England: Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., R.I., Vt.; Mid Atlantic: Del., D.C., Md., N.J., N.Y., Pa., W. Va.; Outer South: Ky., N.C., Okla., Tenn., Texas, Va.; Deep South: Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., S.C.; Great Lakes: Ill., Ind., Mich., Minn., Ohio, Wisc.; Farm Belt: Iowa, Kan., Mo., Neb., N.D., S.D.; Mountain: Ariz., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.M., Utah, Wyo.; Pacific: Alaska, Calif., Hawaii,, Ore., Wash.

(2)Additionally, StrategyOne conducted regional surveys in 10 U.S. markets among 500 licensed drivers in the following metro areas: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Jacksonville, Tucson, Nashville, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Dallas. Margin of error for each city is +/- 4.4 percent.

Disclaimer statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "objectives", "outlook", "probably", "project", "will", "seek", "target", "risks", "goals", "should" and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this Report, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for the Group's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) loss of market and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, project delay or advancement, approvals and cost estimates; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this presentation, May 4, 2006. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this document.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions. We use certain terms in this presentation, such as "oil in place" that the SEC's guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575 and disclosure in our Forms 6-K file No, 1-32575, available on the SEC website http://www.sec.gov/. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

Shell Oil Products US

CONTACT: Shell Media Line, +1-713-241-4544

Web site: http://www.shellus.com/http://www.shell.us/livegunkfree

Source: PRNewswire

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