Emphasis on fuel efficiency at AMW Economy Trial
Associated Moto- rways PLC, (AMW) leader in importing brand new
vehicles to Sri Lanka will flag off a Motoring Event with a difference
with a view to draw attention to fuel conservation among local drivers.
This Economy Trial is open to their customers who drive the popular
car brand Suzuki-Maruti.
Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC) will be the main organiser of this
novel event which is scheduled for September 30. There are exciting
prizes awaiting the lucky winners.
“CMSC is a Club reputed for its experience in organizing Motor
Rallies in Sri Lanka, therefore we are happy to team up with CMSC in
sponsoring the event”.
Although the Rally is open to a few chosen models of the Suzuki-Maruti
brand, it is expected to be an eye opener to all drivers in Sri Lanka,
especially given the recent trend in escalating fuel prices in the
country” said Virann de Zoysa-Marketing Manager, Suzuki-Maruti-AMW PLC.
“Over the years Suzuki-Maruti has proven to offer the best value for
money for the ‘fuel conscious’ driver. The Trial will be a bold step in
further establishing this, as we firmly believe in the Suzuki-Maruti
performance” he further said.
According to the CMSC, the Trial will run a length 100km on a route
which will run though every day traffic situation on our roads in a bid
to promote efficient driving.
The first 50 lucky entrants of Suzuki-Maruti 800 and Alto owners are
eligible to participate in this Rally.
The participants will be given a special briefing one week prior to
the event by the officials and racing experts where the competitors will
be advised on safety, fuel economy and a few tips on good driving
techniques too. The driver who returns the best fuel consumption will be
the winner.
Among many attractive prizes, all of the participants will receive
gifts and a Certificate of Participation, with the courtesy of
Associated Motorways PLC.
AMW PLC’s efforts in drawing attention to the importance of fuel
conservation will be good news to the government battling with highly
volatile fuel prices in the international market.
Double win for Land Rover
Land Rover has won two prestigious awards in the Auto Express New Car
Honours 2007, beating tough competition to win Best 4x4 Recreational and
Best 4x4 Off Roader.
The all-new Land Rover Freelander 2 fought off competition from the
new Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe in what was one of the most hotly
contested sectors to win Best 4x4 Recreational, while the Discovery 3
beat the Mercedes M-Class and BMW X5 for the accolade of Best 4x4 Off
Roader.
Auto Express road test editor, Ollie Marriage, said: “The off-road
king is back. The Freelander 2 has returned to the top of its class with
a neatly designed and beautifully executed second-generation car.”
Frontier Automotive, sole agents for Land Rover in Sri Lanka already
have the award winning Discovery 3 in their Colpetty showroom, while
CEO, Frontier Automotive said the Freelander 2 was expected next month
“Achieving the Best 4x4 Off Roader award for the Discovery 3 - a car
that continues to be an outstanding success, consistently beating new
entrants said Fernando.
Amerasinghe elected Chairman
Senake Amerasinghe, Managing Director Carmart has been elected
Chairman of the Ceylon Motor Traders Association [CMTA], an affiliate of
the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
The CMTA has a membership of 26, with Carmart having been a member
for over 50 years, and a committee member for 20 continuous years.
Senake Amerasinghe |
As Chairman of the CMTA, Amerasinghe intends to meet up with all the
CEOs of the member companies and obtain their views with regards to
preparing a suitable business plan for execution in the coming year
which would be beneficial to the membership at large.
He added that he would be looking at the possibilities of involving
members in various activities of the association by strengthening the
sub- committee system that was introduced in the recent past, whilst
endeavouring to increase the membership by offering membership to a few
new car importers who are currently not members of the CMTA.
Amerasinghe who took over as Managing Director of Carmart in 1970, is
the son of the late Clarence Patrick Amerasinghe, who was a legendary
figure in the history of motor trade in Sri Lanka [then Ceylon].
He was one of the very few Sri Lankans at that time who competed
against the British domination of the motor industry.
In fact in 1953 Carmart became the first Ceylonese franchise holder
to open its own branch in Kandy with facilities for sales, service and
spares.
Apart from his Chairmanship of the CMTA, Amerasinghe has also served
as President of the Sri Lanka German Business Council and President of
the Sri Lanka Indonesia Business Council.
In addition, he is the Honarary Consul for Austria a press release
states.
More research by Indian auto firms
Indian automobile companies are spending more on research and
development (R&D) as they seek to become self-reliant in technology and
boost sales in both local and international markets.
R&D expenses of six auto companies of Indian origin increased 70% to
Rs. 1,384 crore in fiscal 2007 compared with Rs. 443 crore in fiscal
2004. The average R&D spend as a percentage of net sales has increased
to 2.34% from 1.47% during this period. Sales grew 49% in the same
period.
The six companies are Tata Motors Ltd, India’s largest truck maker,
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, the country’s largest utility vehicle maker,
Bajaj Auto Ltd, TVS Motor Co. Ltd, Eicher Ltd and Ashok Leyland Ltd.
The other important auto companies operating in the country, such as
Maruti Udyog Ltd, General Motors India Pvt. Ltd, Ford India Pvt. Ltd and
Hyundai Motor India Ltd, are local arms of multinational corporations
and can draw on the R&D work done by their parents, although most also
spend some money on R&D in India.
The Indian companies, however, have to do it all themselves. For
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, which built India’s first indigenously designed
sports utility vehicle, the Scorpio, in-house technology development has
grown from a need to service price-conscious customers.
TVS Motors scaled up R&D after it split with partner Suzuki Motor
Co., and had to develop new products to defend its market share in an
intensely competitive market.
Livenet India |