Our intention in forming the Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka was simple - we wanted to create a voice for an industry which was in its infancy during the early 80's - an industry which revolutionized society opening up a new chapter in the countries transport history!
Mr. Wijitha Ranasinghe (Founding Member, Past President)
The Liberalization of the Sri Lankan economy in 1977 opened the market, encouraging investments in private sector. As government followed a liberal economic policy - with the amendments to the regulations of export and import industries, overseas goods started to circulate in the local market.
Prior to 1977, the automobile market of the post-colonial Sri Lanka was dominated by British and European car brands such as Ford, Mini, Rolls Royce and... Back then purchasing a car was a luxury that only the crème de la crème of the society could enjoy as the vehicle importation was strictly limited and taxes were high.
With the amendments to importation policies Japanese motor brands were introduced to the local market, changing the direction and nature of Sri Lankan automobile industry. During this phase many aspiring entrepreneurs ventured into the second-hand vehicle trade, importing used Japanese cars.
With reliability, comfort and durability Japanese automobile brands were able to win the consumer trust and loyalty and by late 1980s the automobile market was booming. The auto showrooms (locally referred to as car sales), vehicle service stations and spare part shops were built to meet the increasing demand. With the growth of the industry, the importers realized the significance of unified voice to represent the interests of the vehicle importers advocating the industry.
It was the 16th of February 1984, six leading vehicle importers (Namely, Mr. D.R. Subasinghe, Mr. Raja Nanayakkara, Mr. W. Ranasinghe, Mr. Gihan Ramanayake, Mr. Sathya Dharmadhathu, and Mr. Moris Perera) took an unprecedented step in the history of vehicle importation industry in Sri Lanka by forming Vehicle Importation Association of Sri Lanka at No.93 Barnes Place, Colombo.
The founding members of VIASL were:
The following year many successful importers sought affiliation of the Association including Mr. Bandula Weerasinghe, Mr. Amarasekara, Mr. Jayantha, Mr. M. S. M. Yeheiya, Mr. D. I. Gurege, Mr. Ashok Ganwane, Mr. K. P. W. Ramanaika, Mr. H. K. Ranasinghe, Mr. Kaluthota Nandasena, and Mr. Siril Senanayake. In the 1987 Mr. Manapperuma, Mr. Birty Vithanagamage, Mr. Wajira Rudrigo, Mr. Condrit De Alwis, and Mr. Freddi Alwis.
The subsequent year the Annual General Meeting of the Association was held at Taj Samudra Hotel where a large number of importers joined the Association. In 2001 it was held at the Hilton Hotel,Colombo and more recently in 2010 at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo.
| Year | President | Secretary |
| 1999 - 2000 | Mr. W. Ramanayake | Mr. D. R. Subasinghe |
| 2001 - 2002 | Mr. Birty Vithanagama | - |
| 2004 - 2005 | Mr. Pushpakumara | Mr. Premalal |
| 2006 - 2007 | Mr. Wijitha Ranasinghe | Mr. Gihan Ramanayake |
| 2008 - 2009 | Mr. Wijitha Ranasinghe | Mr. Sampath Merenchige |
| 2009 - 2010 | Mr. Wijitha Ranasinghe | - |
| 2010 - 2011 | Mr. Yoga Perera | Mr. Upeksha De Silva |
Over the past three decades the vehicle importation industry has evolved assuring the high quality, and reliability of the automobiles imported by our members. Today VIASL is acclaimed as the foremost trade association representing Sri Lankan vehicle importers.
