Cars@Duplication turns 4

By Charumini de Silva

Leading car dealer and importer of sophisticated trending vehicles to Sri Lanka, Cars@Duplication recently celebrated its fourth year anniversary.

In line with the anniversary celebration, the firm unveiled the Ford Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost, which is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, making an entry into the American sports car segment. In addition the company launched plug-in hybrid models such as the Mercedes Benz C350 AMG and BMW X5 as well.

“I started this business with my sister four years ago and my passion was always to bring down sports cars and to be able to operate in a niche market segment that Sri Lanka doesn’t have at the moment,” Cars@Duplication Director Rukshan Tissera told the Daily FT.

He said that the firm was initially focused on Japanese cars, but over time they have shifted into a niche market segment and at present they have diverted attention more towards European cars due to the volatility in the Japanese market. 

Noting that the demand for high-end vehicles in Sri Lanka has picked up after a downturn, he noted that it would stabilise the market again.

“There are some big pockets here in Sri Lanka, especially with the expat market picking up. Of the total inquiries we get, around 40% are from foreigners in Sri Lanka, especially the Chinese. Overall the shift toward the luxury cars is coming again,” he stressed.

According to Tissera, the firm has a fast-moving stock where they sell around 100 cars per year with an average sale of seven to eight cars per month. At present the firm has a clientele of about 250 customers and the fastest moving models for this year are the Mercedes Benz C350 AMG and BMW X5. 

This year the company expects to launch two new high-end models, the Mercedes Benz S550 AMG and the GLE 500, which are a first in Sri Lanka. In addition they intend to bring down Mini Coopers as well.

“I like to stay ahead of the competition and bring the first cars to the market,” he said.

In addition, he asserted that they were now more focused on service-oriented business as they wish to be a big part of the entire experience. “We make it our objective to import vehicles that undergo careful inspection from our agents abroad in order to deliver the most suitable vehicle for our customer needs.”

Commenting on the business during the past three months, Tissera pointed out that they had not made even an operational profit owing to clearance issues faced at the Customs.

“We have had a very rough ride due to clearance issues from the Port as officials didn’t know what these cars were. However, I think the regulated bodies are now paving the way and I think that there is a future for cars again now,” he noted.

He said that new segments coming into the market were wiping off the old competition as well, hence it was important for the players to think out of the box and look at niche markets.

Commenting on the competition with the agents, he said: “We are one unique company that doesn’t really have retaliation with the agents. Almost all the cars that I can provide with the warranty from the agent, I try to build it into the car. But, unfortunately none of the agents have understood the power of parallel importers in the sense and if there was a better synchronisation the market would have reached different heights of business.”

Cars@Duplication is a family-owned automotive company established in 2011 and began its journey of importing cars from all over the world, including countries such as Japan, UK, Thailand and Australia.

While the firm offers cutting-edge trending vehicles, it also strives to be the very first in Sri Lanka to present the newest models for customers to select from top manufacturers including Range Rover, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Toyota, Honda and so on.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara