Le Sabre

You can also try the Open University in colombo. Since you already have a degree it might be easy for you to get into their Mechanical or Automotive Engineering program. Best will be to talk to someone there and get the information.

Does anyone know what engine is in the 2000-2001 Hyundai Sonata. Is it a 4 or a 6 cyl engine. Whats the engine capacity and also do you have to pay luxary tax for the car if it has a 2000cc engine in it.

Hows the Kia Spectra model. I was checking out some of them and was wondering if any one has any experience with this model. Does it do well on performance and what would be the ideal market price to pay for one.

Any advice on the Kia models.

What about the kia Rio, Spectra and the mentor (hatchback). Are they good cars as well. And which Kia is the better model whe it comes to resale, spares and performance.

I have noticed that too. Is it because the sonata has a bigger engine. But the sonata seems to be a nice car and how are the spares for it i gues they might be available.

How about the Hyundai Sonata. i see a few sonatas going for a lower price. Is there any particular reason. Also do you have to pay luxary tax for the sonata because its a 2000cc engine car. What about the kia Rio, Spectra and the mentor (hatchback). Are they good cars as well.

Out of the Hyundai Sonata, Elantra, Accent and the Kia Mentor, Spectra and Rio which make and model is better in price , resale, performance and spare parts. Anyone with experience please do post some feed back.

Any body know the price these locally assembled vans are going for. Any info of their website. http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/02/17/bus03.asp WTL launches locally assembled van To compete with other imported brands: Th local automobile industry has a huge potential and there is a growing market for locally manufactured vehicles. It is a landmark event for WTL Automobiles to unveil their first locally assembled diesel passenger van, WTL Hiace WTL Automobiles Managing Director Indika Sampath Merenchige said. A BOI company, WTL Automobiles was set up for vehicle assembling with an investment of Rs. 100 million. WTL Automobiles (Pvt) Ltd launched the locally assembled diesel van at a ceremony held yesterday in Colombo. Picture by Kavinda Perera The venture has been successful in producing vans assembled in Sri Lanka. The value addition per vehicle is 42 percent. The parts for the van are imported from China. “The company will provide an efficient after sales service and this could create a market for its spare parts within the country. It would help generate employment and also a market for the automobile spare parts saving a great deal of foreign exchange,” he said. Sri Lanka could attract international market as a vehicle assembling centre. We are confident that we could compete with Japanese vehicles as our product is offered at an affordable price. With this move, an automobile related industry growth could be anticipated, he said. Wasana Trading Lanka was established in 1994 to import Japanese reconditioned vehicles by focusing the requirement of customers and a good after sales service. In 2005, Chana Changan Automobile Corporation awarded the sole agency to Wasana Trading and it captured the market by opening many showrooms, workshops, spare parts outlets and a 24-hour technical assistance service.

I was looking at some kia Spectras and kia Rios and would like to know if anyone has any experience with these two model cars. Out of these two models which ones better. Hows its performance, Re-sale value and avaliability of spares for the Spectra and the Rio. What would be a good price to pay for these cars.

Iam looking for a car in the price range of 7-8Lks. what are the makes and models that i might be able to get in this price range. Any advice is welcome.

Which year Presea can you get for 9lks.

You can try a Ford Laser 1996-1997 model. I think they go for around 9lks.

Well done. Keep up the good work. Do you guys have any other projects in the making.

Is the Nissan Presea a good car. Hows it performance and fuel consumption. Are spares expensive. Anyone with experience with this car please do share your views.

It should be for the QU14 petrol models. Do they have the same engines as well. Hows it performance, does it do well on petrol.

Whats the Nissan Bluebird SU 14 engine capacity. Is it a 4cyl or 6cyl, 1.8cc or 2.0cc engine.

So srilanka will have 3 assembly plants with UML coming into the market. Hope more cars will be assembled than trucks as iam sure more people will go for cars for personal use.

The article said that they were going to assemble a chinese designed small car. Not sure what the exact models will be. Anyone has any info.

######## to launch assembly plant The demand for brand new vehicles in the country has fallen to a very low level as a result of high levels of taxation of 300 to 400% on imported vehicles, in force during the past few years, resulting in some companies considering assembling vehicles. The industry was further hit in the last financial year due to the slowing down of the local economy following the global economic crisis, according to Ranjit Fernando, Chairman of ######## Lanka Plc in his review of the un-audited accounts of the Goup for the six months period ending September 30, 2009. The adverse impact on demand was further exacerbated during the first six months of this financial year as a consequence of a steep appreciation in the value of the yen, he added. ######## total sales of brand new vehicles during this period was 4,438 vehicles, down sharply by 68 % from 15,499 vehicles in the 6-month during period last year. He said the first quarter of the financial year was marked by high interest rates charged on the company borrowings, further compounded by curtailed lending by financial institutions to the automobile sector. Representations were made to the taxation commission by the industry and it is hoped that a downward revision will be made at the earliest opportunity. In order to take advantage of the lower duty structure that applies to locally assembled vehicles, ######## intends commencing the assembly of a well reputed Chinese brand of vehicles shortly, he added. Many small car sales centres are experiencing difficulties although the registered card sales recorded a slight increase, according to the General Secretary of the Automobile Dealers Association, Faiz Zahir. He said at least 20 car sales centres have been shut down as they didn’t have sales in the past few months.

3 and a half years is quite a long time to finish 29km of road. They gave the same time frame for the Colombo-Katu Expressway as well.

Outer circular highway to start soon President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to officially flag-off the commencement of work of the much protracted Outer Circular Highway Project (OCHP) with the laying of the foundation stone on December 7, 2009. Cabinet approved a memorandum submitted by Minister of Highways and Road Development, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to award the Rs.25 billion contract for the Stage One of OCHP to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Ltd. “The work on Outer Circular Highway will officially commence with the laying of foundation stone on December 7, with the participation of the President. Stage One stretches from Kottawa to Kaduwela, while currently the feasibility study of the second stage extending from Kaduwela to Kadawatha, is nearing its completion,” a high ranking official of the Road Development Authority (RDA) told The Nation. Funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Outer Circular Highway is a fully access highway, linking Colombo-Katunayake Expressway at the Kerawalapitiya Interchange, Southern Expressway at the Kottawa Interchange and the Kandy Highway at the Kadawatha Interchange. It will be constructed in three phases – Kottawa-Kaduwela, Kaduwela-Kadawata and Kadawata-Kerawalapitiya. RDA believes that it will connect the North and South more quickly, acting as a bypass to the Colombo City and disperse traffic from Colombo more effectively, easing traffic congestions in the Colombo Metropolitan Region. Construction of the 29 km (18 mile) long outer circular road network will take three and a half years to complete, ending by mid 2013. Access will be provided to all “A” class roads via interchanges and the OCH will have an operational speed limit of 80 km/h and is to be built with four lanes, with provisions to upgrade the road for six lanes of traffic. The outer circular highway will not only provide an effective bypass for North-South bound traffic and to reduce through-traffic in the city of Colombo, while providing passenger transport to destinations in a minimum time period, and a quick passenger and goods transport facility from airport. RDA says in the pre-feasibility study carried out in 1992, five alternative traces have been studied, and the feasibility study was carried out in 1999 under grant aid assistance from the Government of Japan, in which nine alternative traces have been considered. Initially, although a 10 km wide belt was considered in studying traces with the help of maps and aerial photographs, a corridor confining to a width of a kilometre on either side of the centre line has been identified for detailed study to minimise the social and environmental damages. In the feasibility study, the alignment that has been selected to pass through Kerawelapitiya, Mattumagala, Kadawatha, Hewagama, Makumbura (Kottawa), Rerukana and Nalluruwa has been recommended as the most appropriate alignment. Interchanges to the Outer Circular Highway have been proposed for “A” class roads and other expressways at Kerawalapitiya (Colombo-Katunayake Expressway) Mattumagala (Peliyagoda-Puttalam Road), Kadawatha (Colombo-Kandy A1 Road and proposed Colombo-Kandy Expressway), Biyagama (Kelaniya-Mudungoda Road), Kaduwela (Colombo-Hanwella Low Level Road), Makumbura (Colombo-Ratnapura A4 Road and proposed Southern Expressway). The project had to be temporarily suspended in November 2001 due to inability to carry out ground surveys due to protests raised by the residents of the area, and with alternative deviations for the OCH route been proposed by the affected residents. An RDA official added that the treasury bills would be received by affected residents in lieu of compensation.