AMW: grey imports are scaring off global automakers — should buyers care?

AMW's Group MD says only about 30% of Sri Lanka's vehicle market now runs through authorised distributors, with the rest — including roughly 30,000 Nissan and Suzuki units — landing through other channels since imports reopened. His point: global manufacturers judge Sri Lanka by that shrinking authorised slice alone, which could mean less investment, fewer new models, and weaker long-term parts and service backup here. CMTA members say the fallout goes beyond dealer profits, hitting jobs, technician training, and the whole local auto ecosystem over time. The counter-argument is simple: buyers are paying far less right now, and nobody owes international brands a protected market just so a handful of distributors keep their margins. If the non-authorised channel keeps prices down and the car runs fine, why should ordinary buyers care who sold it or whether a brand feels "committed" to Sri Lanka? Have you bought outside the authorised network, and did parts or service actually become a problem later? Or is this just distributors dressing up their own margin loss as a national interest argument? ඔයාගේ වාහනේ ගත්තේ අලුත්ම ඩීලර්ගෙන්ද, නැත්නම් වෙනත් චැනලයකින්ද? ඒක පස්සේ පාරක් hassle එකක් උනාද?