Motor

Micro cars to initiate super luxury city bus service

Micro Cars Limited was established in Sri Lanka by veteran Automobile Engineer, Dr. Lawrence Perera. It was to create a low-cost manufacturing and assembly operation that could produce high quality vehicles, utilizing resources and labour force of a developing nation. Micro Cars Limited has positioned itself as the only national car manufacturer, having its own patent for small city cars. It also caters to various other market segments through the assembly of a range of vehicles from compact cars and vans to luxury SUV's and also prime movers. Following are excerpts of a brief discussion with Micro Holdings (Pte.) Ltd., Group Director, C.P. Guhashanka on the newly launched Super Luxury City Bus service.

Q: What made your company start the Super Luxury City Bus Service?

A: Currently, the government is developing the infrastructure. So, we thought of modernizing the passenger transport sector to supplement this growth. If we are to reach the status of a developed country, we need to have a proper passenger transportation system in the country. The credit should be given to Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama. He has been instrumental to revolutionize the transport sector, deviating from the use of traditional types of buses.

Q: What is the basic scope of the Super Luxury City Bus service?

A: This is a Private Public Participation (PPP) between the CTB and our company. This new service is high in quality that is almost equal to what you see in Europe, US, Singapore or any other developed country. We have invested in busses. We are yet to discover a plan as to how we could operate this service and also discover means to optimize revenue.

Q: How do you differentiate a Super Luxury City Bus service from an ordinary services?

A: Our service is more than what you see in the intercity bus service. In the City Bus service, you only have to pay for your destination, although it is air conditioned. Compared to any other intercity bus, you need not pay for the entire trip although you will not commute the full journey. Apart from that, we provide many value additions.This will be a very safe transportation system for ladies during night time.

Q: What are these value added services?

A: Technically, city busses have an ultralow floor and rear mounted engine to minimize noise inside the bus. The floor could also be lowered to take in a wheel chair, helping a differently abled passenger. The bus has air suspension and automatic transmission for smooth running, which gives more comfort to commuters who are standing. Roof mounted A/C maintains a 22 degree temperature within the bus, providing equal distribution at all times. An on line GPS monitoring system, locating the bus via SMS and a CCTV monitoring system are some of the additional features which would be implemented in the near future.

We are also looking at installing a WiFi system within the bus, while mapping out the route by the use of digital monitors. These screens would provide additional information about the busses starting from a particular halt or concerning the neighbourhood. We are also looking at using advertisements from super market chains. These value additions would help sustainability.We have discussed these plans with Bus TV, so that they could initiate advertising. Apart from that, each bus would be provided with a TV and a DVD, a wide entrance for easy access, digital route display boards for easy identification of routes and wide sealed glass shutters.

Q: What are your development plans for Super Luxury City Bus services?

A: Well, apart from public transport, we are looking at using these busses for office and school transport. We also have a pilot service running from Negambo - Colombo, Panadura - Colombo, and Kadawatha - Colombo.

AMW launches Nissan Sunny N17

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

Nissan and AMW enjoy 52 years relationship and the launch of Nissan Sunny N17 signifies a mile stone in this relationship. AMW is the second oldest distributor for Nissan in Asia. The key success in the Nissan Sunny model in Sri Lankan market augurs well for the new launch to capture the market, AMW Managing Director Samantha Rajapaksa said.

"Nissan Sunny is a familiar name among the general motoring public. The 16 million units sold worldwide is a testimony for the brand popularity," he said. Among the key features of the Nissan Sunny N17 model are more leg space, steering wheel mounted audio control, rear AC with rear control, power and tilt steering. These are features that are presently available in more expensive models in other brands.

"We are excited and proud to introduce the latest generation of the ever popular Nissan Sunny, which is a household name not only in Sri Lanka, but all over the world. This is our 11th generation model and since its initial announcement we have already received an amazing response," AMW General Manager Yohann De Zoysa said.

The features included being stylish, modern and packed with luxurious in nature offers unbeatable value to anyone considering a new car, he said.

While the design and elegant lines of this new 11th generation Sunny is the first thing one notices about the vehicle the spaciousness and luxury of the passenger compartment must truly be seen to be believed.

Offered with either a four -speed automatic or five speed manual to complement the 1.5 litre engine the all new Nissan Sunny also has generous levels of standard equipment including dual airbags, anti lock brakes intelligent key system for safety, steering wheel mounted audio controls and separate rear air conditioning vents where these features not found in any other car in this class of vehicle.