Business Drive

The Motor Care and Riya Pola 2007

The Motor Care and Riya Pola 2007 organised by NEAT Exhibition and Media Promotions (Pvt) Ltd concluded at the BMICH. According to the organisers there were nearly 40 exhibitors participated in the event representing leading vehicle importers, reconditioned vehicle sellers and spare parts sellers in Sri Lanka.

All types of vehicles including trucks, cars, vans, motor bikes and cabs were sold at the Riya Pola 2007. A unique feature of the Riya Pola 2007 was that customers were able to purchase vehicles with vehicle insurance policy and a special leasing package according to customers’ needs.

Vehicle prices increased after the budget but customers were able to purchase vehicles for competitive prices at the fair. The show was commenced on last Friday. Here are some of the vehicles displayed at the fair.

Pictures by Saliya Rupasinghe.

Objective, maintaining public health:

Vehicle emission testing from 2008

The Vehicle Emission Testing (VET) programme will be implemented in next year. It is mandatory for vehicle owners to obtain the VET certifications from 2008.

The VET programme was officially launched last month. CleanCo, Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and Laugfs Eco Sri have been selected to implement the programme from April next year.

These companies will invest Rs. 1 billion to import testing machinery and set up testing stations islandwide.

Each company will set up 16 fixed testing stations and 40 mobile stations to issue VET certificates. It is mandatory for vehicle owners to obtain VET certificate from one of these companies to renew their revenue licenses from next year.

According to the Commissioner of Department of Motor Traffic B. Wijeratne the vehicle population in Sri Lanka is expected to be over 2.4 million by the year of 2008. Serious hazardous environmental consequences are anticipated as a result of this growth.

The reduction of fuel consumption by one per cent by emission control, could save nearly Rs 1 billion for the nation per annum. Unless it is monitored and regulated the damage for a healthy existence is at a high risk in the near future.

The Government of Sri Lanka has taken policy decision to regulate vehicle emission and fuel standards to alleviate this threat to public health.

The VET is to ensure that the atmosphere is free of poisonous gases, and to protect people. The main objective of the emission test programme is to supply clean breathing air to the future generation.

(ISB News Bulletin)

Japan’s Suzuki to roll out new car from India

Japan’s Suzuki Mo- tor said Tuesday it will roll out its next new car from India, targeting European buyers, as it invests 1.8 billion dollars in making the nation a global production hub.

Suzuki Motor Corp, an early entrant into the Indian market when the billion-plus nation began opening up its economy in the 1990s, is ramping up output with its Indian unit Maruti, maker of half of all new cars in India.

“Our next world car will be made in India,” Suzuki chairman Osamu Suzuki told reporters in the Indian capital.

“Given the importance of India to the Suzuki world strategy it is planned to invest 200 billion yen (1.78 billion dollars) for plants in India to 2009,” he added.

Tuesday’s announcement underscored the importance of the fast-growing Indian car market to Suzuki after its Indian unit outstripped its parent in sales in their home markets in the first half of the year for the first time ever.

The Indian market has been spurred by a booming economy, growing at an annual nine percent, that has created new affluent breed of car buyers. Global automakers have been steering towards India in a bid to make inroads into one of the world’s most rapidly expanding vehicle markets.

The new A-segment one-litre engine, five-door hatchback will be called the “A-Star.”

It will be the fifth global car from the Suzuki line-up after the Swift, the Grand Vitara, the SX4 and the Splash. There were no pricing details.

Suzuki Motor aims to get about 70 per cent of its global revenue from outside Japan this year. Europe now represents some 15 per cent of global vehicle sales.

The plans to export cars from India mark a strategy shift by Suzuki which has not until now used the South Asian country as an export base. Production of the new car will begin in October 2008 at the company’s plant in Manesar on the New Delhi outskirts. AFP

Goetze piston and rings promotion held

The Federal Mogul Company was here in Sri Lanka on a promotion programme of Goetze pistons, piston rings and other spares specially for four stroke three-wheelers, two stroke three-wheelers and motorcycles.

Federal Mogul Company is a worldwide company with main factory and office in USA and has its manufacturing factories and marketing branches all over the world.

The Asian Region Company is based in India, New Delhi.

They manufacture OE equipment and spares and supply to Leyland, Tata, Komatsu, Subaru light and heavy duty trucks and cars of all popular makes.