Motor
maglanka.lk
14
NEWS
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
T
he Sri Lanka Automobile Service Providers Association
(SLASPA) recently signed a commercial agreement with
Co-operative Insurance to provide a superior customer
experience to their customers. This is the second such agreement
that SLASPA has signed with an insurance provider, the first was
with Orient Insurance in March. Under the agreement, policy
holders of Co-operative Insurance can be rest assured that their
vehicle will be restored to its original condition in the event of an
accident, utilizing a ground-breaking process devised by SLASPA
to eliminate idle time that leads to delays and poor repairs as a
consequence.
Under the agreement, a niche list of SLASPA members around
Sri Lanka would be carrying out accident claim repairs on behalf ofSLASPA signs Commercial Agreement
with Co-operative Insurance
Co-operative Insurance. Additionally, as an industry first, SLASPA
would offer ombudsman services for customer protection should
the need arise. Previously, customers had no such protection
against unscrupulous service providers with poor repair standards.
With this agreement, it will become a safe haven for all motorists
covered by Co-operative insurance policies.
“Co-operative Insurance is one of the fastest growing motor
insurance companies in Sri Lanka with an exceptionally trained
management structure that is looking for innovation and more
importantly, to offer value addition services to cover not just with
a repair, but removing barriers that exhaust vehicle owners from
repairing their vehicles to a proper standard in a time-saving
manner” said Mr. R. A. Mahendra, Motor Engineer from Co-
operative Insurance
Ravith Silva, National Organiser of SLASPA outlined another
negative practice that poses a danger to vehicle users that
SLASPA is trying to eliminate with agreements like this one.
“When an accident vehicle is repaired under insurance with new
or reconditioned parts, the old and damaged parts are supposed
to be handed over to the insurer by the repair centre. However,
some elements intercept these parts along this chain, repair them
quickly and replace them on the market. These are damaged parts
that usually cannot be repaired and are to be discarded responsibly
as they are not fit for purpose, however they find their back into
the market where an unsuspecting vehicle user may have them
fitted to his or her vehicle without knowing. We are working hard
to eliminate this dangerous practice” said Mr. Silva. “SLASPA
member workshops are monitored carefully for standards and
ethical behaviour, and if they are found to be engaging in such
practices, SLASPA will work with them and guide them towards the
correct path, and if all else fails, their membership of SLASPA will
be ceased”.I
n 2016, Jaguar was the first premium car manufacturer to
join the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Now the British
manufacturer is making history again with the world’s first all-
electric production based international race series, the Jaguar
I-Pace eTrophy.
The Access Group flew the Sri Lanka flag high at the Sanya,
China round of the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy when their car was
adorned with the Sri Lanka flag and Access Group branding. Driven
by Simon Evans, the car finished in second place out of twentycars which is an admirable result. The Team Asia New Zealand
eTROPHY car is sponsored primarily by the Giltrap Group of New
Zealand, as well as Wearnes Automotive, and Access Group Pvt
Ltd, Sri Lanka; all official importers and distributors of Jaguar Land
Rover vehicles in their respective countries.
The Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy is a support series to the ABB FIA
Formula E Championship, the flagship electric racing series in the
world today. The I-PACE eTrophy races on the same tracks and
the same weekend as the flagship series. The I-PACE model that
is raced features a 400bhp electric engine and a 0-100km/h time
of 4.5 seconds. A 90kWh battery is onboard to provide the juice,
and the car weighs nearly two tonnes, yet rockets to a top speed of
121mph or just shy of 200km/h. The car is not too much changed
from the road-going I-PACE model, with minor reinforcements and
technical enhancements made to address the higher demands and
safety standards of racing.
Twenty cars take place in ten races across the globe with one
champion. Team Asia is dedicated to Jaguar’s markets in Sri Lanka,
Singapore and New Zealand. With all cars being identical, race
performance is down to driver skill and ability.Access Group Sponsors Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy