Dyan Seneviratne chats to PAVINEE POTHONG of Ford Motor Company – Marketing & Communications Manager, Asia Pacific Ford Export & Global Growth Operations Dyan: Welcome to Sri Lanka, Pavinee. As Ford’s Marketing & Communications Manager for Asia Pacific your hands must surely be full virtually the whole while! Pavinee [smiles] I am very honoured to be here in Sri ...
PREAMBLE To the non-Chinese like us, the name ‘Zhongxing’ sounds outlandish – to say the least, if not a tongue twister! But do you know that Zhongxing Automobile [that completes its ‘full name’] is a leading Pick-Up Truck & SUV manufacturing plant located in Baoding, Herbei Province, China. Zhongxing manufactures both the SUV called the Landmark and the Pick-Up ...
THE SPEED GUN HAS RETURNED! The controversial ‘Speed Gun’ which was withdrawn on apparent legal grounds has made its re-entry. What is the ‘speed limit’ of any road IF prominent road signs are absent? Once out of any town there must be well recognizable road-signs indicating the prevailing ‘Speed Limit’ applicable to that particular roadway, isn’t it? So in the ...
Land Rover has a pretty consistent record of taking an SUV niche and making it their own. Starting with the ubiquitous original go anywhere Land Rover Series 1 (now the much loved Defender) and the massively successful Range Rover as the first proper luxury SUV. They may not be always the first in the market but they damn well ...
Palwehera in Dambulla is famous for its mangoes but as I learned much to my delight, Palwehera is also an extraordinary eco friendly resort, located off Bulagala Junction on the Habarana Road. Palwehera offers culture and nature and 24 luxury rooms including two cabana style bungalows. All rooms have modern facilities including A/C, mini bar, telephone, piped music and ...
The 105 series Giulia Coupes are often considered by experts as one of the most desirable post war Alfa Romeos ever; one that epitomizes what an Alfa should be. That is, light weight, small rear wheel drive and technologically ahead of the competition with an enviable racing pedigree. The coupe of the Giulia was launched as way back as ...
Our world is becoming an increasingly unstable place, riots in the Middle East, economic crises in the west, natural disasters occurring with increasing frequency; all of this collectively seems to indicate that the future we are headed towards might not be quite as rosy as we would like it to be. The effect all of the above has on ...
RS. If you like fast Fords, those two letters have near-mythical connotations. For more than four decades they have signified the hottest Ford products available to the public and the roll call of RS models encompasses a very impressive list of everyman performance cars. Every decade in there seems to have its own RS Ford; The 1970s had the ...
In my very first review for Motor I wrote “Preconceived notions are a dangerous thing.” and went on to explain how the majority of Sri Lankan car buyers are so bound by their preconceptions that their attitude has practically become “If it’s not a Toyota or Nissan (or Maruti if we’re talking very cheap), I’m not buying it!”. This ...
Brilliant, gritty racer whose forte is to win even from back of the grid Dyan: That sums you up Ashan – the countless times you have emerged from the back of the grid to take the chequered flag – knocking off numerous ‘big names’ in the process! Ashan [smiles] Yes, there have been many such instances… Dyan: Obviously you are ...
In Sinhala folklore there is a story about arranged marriages, where the unsuspecting groom was shown the attractive younger sister at the first introduction only to be confronted with the ugly elder sister at the marriage ceremony. I am not quite sure whether arranged marriages are an occurrence in Korea, however Hyundai would have no such problems and would ...
GALLOPING BACK-HOES IN RUSH HOUR AMIDST SUICIDAL PEDESTRIANS In all ‘sane countries’ where the Rule of Law and Highway Code are sacrosanct, Back-Hoes and Bulldozers are NOT permitted to be driven on main roads. Instead they are transported in appropriately equipped heavy trucks when-ever required. Not so in sunny Sri Lanka! Just the other morning a back-hoe was trundling along ...
Since introduction in 1998, Toyota’s compact Vitz has been a very popular seller in its segment. The original XP10 set the template that was carried on by the 2005 XP90 and the current model, the 2010-present XP130; Compact, easy to drive, economical and practical but with very little to engage the enthusiastic driver, at least as far as the ...
The DKW Monza is a sports car built on an Auto Union DKW base. Named after the world-famous Italian Grand Prix circuit, the car set five world records in 1956. After the series of wins by the DKW 3-6 ‘Sonderklasse’ in European touring car racing and rallying in 1954 and 1955, two racing drivers started to develop a sporty ...
Madu Ganga is most certainly especially favoured by nature with its lagoon and hundreds of islands providing an idyllic setting for a well spent holiday with loads of traditional attractions. Maduganga Villa Hotel is a popular holiday complex, located on the banks of Mahaladuwa a large inhabited island on the Maduganga lagoon. Maduganga Villa complex is named after the ...
THE JONWAY A380 SUV THAT IS… When I was tasked to test a Jonway A380, for a moment I thought my fortunes had changed or that Motors’ trusted and reliable executive secretary Keshika, had somehow been privy to something that I was not, i.e. that by some strange quirk I had been bestowed a commercial pilot’s license by some ...
What is it? It’s the mid-life face lift of Mercedes’ smallest sedan and volume seller, the C-Class. The facelift model launched in September 2011 and Merc claims it brings an impressive 2,000-plus refinements and improvements over the original model. How will I recognise The freshened C Class? Well, the biggest clue is the aggressive new headlamps and larger air ...
SLTB BUS TURNS LEFT BUT GOES RIGHT… OVER THE CLIFF! No joke! This actually happened! A SLTB bus whilst negotiating the numerous bends on the way from Endane Estate in Kahawatte recently, went over a precipice and all 28 passengers were seriously injured – some critically. Obviously basic maintenance had been absent. If not how on earth could a ...
Intro The Linea first saw the light of day in Turkey at the Tofas plant which is a Joint Venture between Fiat and the Turkish Koc Holdings in 2007. Developed as a world car it was launched the following year in Brazil where Fiat has been the market leader for a long period of time. Our continent received it ...
No, we haven’t slipped up, Buckingham Palace is also in Sri Lanka; at Rekawa in the deep south, just east of Tangalle. Prospective guests be warned; the hotel is difficult to find as there are no signposts. I suggest a prior perusal of the hotel’s website to avoid annoyance on the road. Buckingham Palace as its name suggest is ...
