Will strive to promote green concept:

Hybrid Engineering Centre opens

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

The first Hybrid Engineering Centre in Sri Lanka will be launched today (Monday) by the Hybrid Motors Lanka Private Ltd with an investment of US $ 500,000.

Hybrid Motors Lanka Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Hybrid Motors Singapore which is one of the dominant players in the Singapore automobile industry with a paid up capital of SGD 2 million.

Hybrid marketing strategy in Sri Lanka would be to become the most preferred brand for maintenance of Hybrid, Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPV), Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) and luxury cars with the opening of the state-of-the-art engineering centre. It aims at joining the development process of Sri Lanka together with the public and private sectors, Hybrid Motors Lanka Private LTD Chairman Eddie Lo said.

"In line of the vision of Sri Lanka to become a green nation, hybrid will strive to promote the green concept as there are many advantages of hybrid technology that facilitate our efforts, he said.

"We have strategic plans for Sri Lanka. We hope to educate and create greater awareness of hybrid technology, systematically increasing the confidence level of our customers with the quality maintenance care to every hybrid car," Hybrid Motors Lanka Private Ltd Managing Director Geraldine Lim said.

"The facilities are not geared up for electric cars and we are confident that hybrid will be the way forward. Hybrid uses technology that uses less fuel than now. There is a need for a learning curve and the ground preparedness is easy," Hybrid Motor Lanka Private Ltd Chief Engineer Robert White said.

"We want to set the standards of the workshop quality by introducing state-of-the-art facilities. We have recruited employees from Sri Lanka and they will ensure quality delivery process," he said.

"The technology to service hybrid cars is a necessity and there is huge service potential in the country. We are looking to magnify our business development activities with the setting up of the centre," Hybrid Motors Lanka Private Ltd Sales Director Azli Ismail said.

"We will provide a warranty cover for the service provided and plans are under way to establish more centres in the country with the demand created with more hybrid cars coming to the country," he said.

There are 2,000 to 3,000 hybrid cars in the country with nearly 2,500 awaiting release at the Colombo Port.