Motul opens first of three new R&D centers in Vaires-sur-Marne, France
Motul, the leading high-performance engine lubricants brand, has strengthened innovation of sustainable lubricants and cooling fluids for batteries and thermal management with the opening of a new R&D laboratory at Vaires-sur-Marne in the Paris region. The new laboratory was inaugurated on October 4. Two more will be opened in India and Vietnam by the end of 2025.
Motul’s technical expertise and culture of innovation in the service of efficiency and safety goes back more than a century. The company is now ramping up its investments to meet the needs of new powertrains and the industry with sustainable and efficient products. By the end of 2025, the group will have doubled its research and development capacities with the opening of these three new laboratories.
With a team of 16 chemists, engineers, and in-house researchers, and featuring a test bench, the R&D center will develop new Thermal Management technologies. These next-generation lubricants for hybrid and combustion engines improve performance while incorporating regenerated materials into existing products.
As a sustainability pioneer, Motul launched in 2022 the first motorcycle lubricant containing high-quality regenerated base oil, which performs as well as traditional lubricants. The NGEN range is now available for both motorcycles and cars (petrol, diesel, and hybrid). Containing up to 65% infinitely recyclable regenerated base oil, this sustainable lubricant uses 60% less energy than conventional oils during fabrication.
The opening of the new R&D center at Vaires-sur-Marne, located close to the existing factory to ensure high responsiveness to its clients, is a first step. Motul will open two additional laboratories by the end of 2025: one in India, with an R&D center dedicated to the local mobility market and data center thermal management; and another in Vietnam, where the group has been present since 2009.
This will bring the number of Motul R&D centers to six, building on the first three, in in Germany, Japan, and Italy, which work with local academic, industrial, and technological experts to create next generation fluids. Motul is thus positioning itself as a leader in the ongoing evolution of powertrains and new mobility.
These investments are part of the group's new roadmap:
Reducing Motul’s carbon footprint by developing engine and transmission lubricants based on regenerated and organic base oils, as well as new recycled containers.
Supporting electric mobility.
Designing fluids adapted to new fuels.
Exploring new thermal management solutions for the IT sector.
Strengthening its leadership in motorsports.
"We are proud to expand our pioneering capacity for innovation, which is the foundation of our expertise, so that we can offer products to the mobility and industrial sectors products that are ever more efficient and sustainable. This momentum demonstrates Motul's commitment to sustainable growth," said Julien Plet, Head of R&D at Motul.
About Motul
Motul specializes in the formulation, production, and distribution of high-quality lubricants that elevate performance in multiple usages from powersport to passenger cars, heavy duty, and industrial applications. Motul has pioneered synthetic oils with its flagship 300V, the first 100% synthetic multigrade lubricant. Building on this long-term know-how, Motul is now extending its expertise to care products for cars, motorbikes and bicycles, as well as advanced fluids for the thermal management of electric vehicle batteries and digital infrastructures such as data centers, addressing the performance and sustainability challenges of tomorrow.
Founded in 1853, Motul is a global company present in 160 countries. Over the years, the brand has built a solid reputation as a trusted partner to support the performance of leading manufacturers, top motorsport teams and major championships, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the WEC, MotoGP, Dakar, Goodwood, or the UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
