Drive

Sri Lanka Insurance opens Formula World Collision Repair Centre in Kandy

Sri Lanka Insurance opened its second Formula World Collision Repair Centre in Kandy last Sunday.

Formula World Kandy can house over 150 vehicles and is equipped with the latest technology in the automotive repair industry, not found in most Collision Repair Centres in Asia today.

The first fully fledged state of the art Collision Repair Centre - Formula World was established in July 2006. Located at Seeduwa it can house over 300 vehicles Formula World was built on the notion of providing utmost 'peace-of-mind' and a 'hassle-free', motor vehicle repair experience to Sri Lanka Insurance's Formula Plus Motor Insurance policy holders.

Formula World holds some of the world's finest car repair equipment to precisely restore the damaged vehicle to its manufacturer's specifications. The use of these high-tech equipment detect, adjust, repair and/or replace motor-vehicle body panels and related components.

The process itself sees the use of the latest laser measurement to repair 'Uni-Body' frame systems to ensure complete accuracy and precision when aligning damaged areas and when correcting structural and other faults in the frame or body of the vehicle.

Formula World's quality assurance experts also inspect the vehicle under specially designed lights to ensure that it is defect-free prior to delivery to the owner. All repairs will be certified by the Formula World Centre with a limited warrantee.

There is also a modern fully fledged paint booth equipped with computerised paint matching and mixing equipment, spraying and baking facilities to ensure professional paintwork and a high quality finish for the vehicle.

Formula World is manned by qualified technicians who are trained by overseas qualified specialists, ensuring expert care for your vehicle. Technicians and staff at Formula World undergo constant training to keep them alert and on their feet to deliver professional service to Customers.

In keeping with its promise Formula World has a dedicated fleet of special recovery trucks on call 24 hours-a-day, that will transport the damaged vehicle to the Collision Repair Centre, providing convenience to its customers. The company has plans to open many more Collision Repair Centres with the next being planned in the Southern Region.

Launching of The Formula World brought in the much needed professional Collision Repair methods that is in line with the international safety standards to the Sri Lankan market. Formula World services remain exclusively for the Formula Plus comprehensive motor policy holders providing them with a perfect motor insurance solution.

New Beetle Design of the Century

The New Beetle received the coveted "Design of the Century Award" from the Industrial Designers of America (IDSA). This honours products whose design plays a significant role in the success of the product or brand.

Before that, the New Beetle had received the "Product Design Award" from the Industrie Forum Design in Hannover and also the award for "Good Design" from the Chicago Athenaeum.

In mid 2005, the Volkswagen cult-car was optically 'sharpened' in the style of the New Beetle Ragster study. With sure instinct the Volkswagen designers enhanced the level of the successful series. New lights, refined lines, a fresh colour palette as well as new fabric seat covers are just a few of the details that were changed.

The basic form of the New Beetle is untouchable. That is why the designers have perfected the details of the two-door front-wheel drive. But they have done this with consistency: The front bumpers have received a radiator grille that gives it a sportier look and the synthetic fenders have been given a sharper contour. The lights have also been redesigned. The clear-glass headlights are even more defined with their oval shape and the front blinkers have been made narrower.

The New Beetle is still available in a basic version that can be customised through various features and packages. In the new model year, colours with imaginative names like "Salsa Red" or "Gecko Green" offer a glimpse of the fresh colours and paints. Altogether, 15 colors will be available for the New Beetle. In addition, the interior of the New Beetle has new fabric designs available in Black, Flannel Grey and Cream.

The interior has also been upgraded through chrome framing on the instrument cluster and air vents. New Beetle drivers get even more creative options through the new wheel features.

Senok owns the franchise for Audi and Subaru in year 1995, Audi is part of the Volkswagen group. Their workshop for the Volkswagen and Audi range of vehicles, located at Negombo Road, Wattala is handled by German factory trained engineers, which also has equipments that meet all the manufacturers standards. Senok offers customers spare parts for all the vehicles that are sold, which includes importing spare parts for customers who are still using the very old Volkswagen models. All spare parts are handled through the company's regional office located in Singapore and therefore in case of non availability of any type of spare part the company can get it through its regional office.

TVS Corporate Nite

TVS Lanka Pvt Ltd held their 'Corporate Nite' at Earls Court, Trans Asia Hotel recently. It was an event hosted by TVS Lanka for their corporate clientele under the theme 'Forging Partnerships'.

An official addressing the gathering

Cocktails accompanied by entertainment provided by a live band and a dance troupe were the highlights of the evening that also featured presentations by Executive Director, Chanaka Yatawara, General Manager, Gihan Pilapitiya Assistant General Managers Vinod Lalvani and Roshan Jayasinghe, and Corporate Sales Manager of TVS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Dammika Gunawardene.

As expressed by the theme, the aim of the Corporate Nite was forging and strengthening mutually advantageous professional relationships characterised by goodwill, trust and friendship between TVS and their corporate clientele.

Vinod Lalvani, Assistant General Manager, TVS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. expressed his confidence that the bonds and the memories forged during the evening will withstand the test of time. All in all both the clients and the TVS team left the Corporate Nite with a mission accomplished mentality convinced that they could move together towards a winning equation.

Credit crunch weakens auto sales

Hurt by high gasoline prices and further shredded by faltering credit markets, U.S. auto sales are going to get worse before they improve, an industry forecasting firm predicted Wednesday.

Global Insight, known for its auto industry research, said the depressed new-car sales in the United States won't start to improve until 2010. In a webcast to reporters, clients and analysts, the firm also outlined out how the global credit crunch is squeezing auto markets in Asia, India, Europe and North America.

Indeed, U.S. credit market problems that deepened in recent weeks - coupled with dismal September auto sales - have spurred industry analysts, including Global Insight, to lower their vehicle sales predictions for this year.

"We're starting to see sales rates that we haven't seen since the early '90s, late 1980s, and it's going to get worse," said George Magliano, director of North American auto industry research, during the presentation.

Last week, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Chrysler LLC and Nissan Motor Co. reported sales decreases in September of at least 30 percent, and General Motors Corp. said its sales fell 16 percent.

Those figures led Global Insight to revise its forecast for the year, Magliano said. The research firm predicts U.S. new-car sales to total 13.6 million this year, a 16 percent drop from the 16.1 million vehicles sold in 2007.

Crowe Chizek and Co. auto analyst Erich Merkle reduced his prediction in the last week to 13.5 million vehicles, close to Global Insight's forecast, because of the growing problems in the U.S. credit markets.

And on Tuesday, Citi Investment Research analyst Itay Michaeli reduced his 2009 light-vehicle sales estimate to 13.7 million units from 14.4 million units, according to his research note.

Magliano predicted the economy will be particularly brutal next year, with sales dipping to 13.4 million vehicles, but Merkle anticipates a slight increase of about 100,000 vehicles from his 2008 estimate.

In the second half of 2009, Merkle predicted, the credit markets will start to free up and consumer confidence will increase.

Global Insight's Magliano, too, said he expects to see "the light at the end of the tunnel" economically by the end of next year and into 2010. By 2013, the industry will rally to the sales volume it had in 2006, and new-car sales are expected to hit about 17.5 million in 2015 or 2016, the forecasting firm said.

AMW blood donation
 

Chairman, AMW Tilak de Zoysa discussing the arrangements with Medical Officer of the Castle Street blood bank Dr Ruwanthi Sirisena, whilst an employee donates blood.

The annual blood donation campaign conducted by AMW PLC was held for the 23rd consecutive year at the company head office on October 6.

On this occasion 123 employees including Directors, General Managers and all levels of employees donated blood.

The blood donation campaign is held to coincide with the death anniversary of former Chairman of the company late Chulaka De Zoysa.