Colombo: New vehicle registrations in Sri Lanka increased to 55,000 in January, up from 48,000 in December with imports from India seeing a 15 per cent surge, analysts JB Securities said on Thursday. Indian-origin imports surged to 30,766 units in January, up from 26,631 units in December.
Two-wheelers accounted for the bulk of new vehicle registrations at 24,163 units, followed by three-wheelers (3,441 units), SUVs (2,100 units), and trucks (237 units), a release by JB Securities said. Car registrations, however, declined month-on-month, falling to 4,648 units in January from 5,007 units in December. Three-wheeler registrations increased to 3,448 units from 3,007 units the previous month.
India’s Bajaj remained the undisputed market leader with 2,852 units, followed by TVS with 400 units. Electric three-wheelers remained marginal, with just 29 units registered. The Chinese BYD car registrations declined to 758 units in January, from 850 units in December. BYD became the top seller after Sri Lanka lifted car imports restrictions in early 2025.
BAW, a relatively new Chinese EV entrant, led the segment with 154 units, driven almost entirely by the E7 (151 units) — a small, low-cost model positioning itself as a potential challenger to the Maruti Alto. During the month, there were notable high-end registrations including: one Maybach GLS, one Porsche Macan, one Porsche Panamera, one Bentley Bentayga (SUV), three Bentley Flying Spur sedans, one Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB, two Ferrari 296 GTBs, one Lamborghini Urus (SUV), one Lamborghini Huracán (supercar).
“Owners of these ultra-luxury vehicles are making a disproportionately large fiscal contribution, paying close to 200 per cent in cumulative taxes on these imports,” it said. This segment provides meaningful revenue support to the public finances, despite representing negligible volumes.
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