Only 3,414 cars registered in September vs 44,000+ bikes and tuks — who's left buying cars?

RMV's September numbers are out: total registrations jumped 18% to 54,214 from August's 45,811, but almost all of that came from two-wheelers (38,747, Bajaj and TVS neck and neck) and three-wheelers (5,375, up 37.3%, with Bajaj alone holding 82% of that segment). Motor cars? Just 3,414 — and most of those were pre-owned, not new. One side says this is just economics working as intended: with duties, surcharges and 60% down payments stacking up, a Rs 300,000 scooter or a Rs 1.2m tuk is the only realistic upgrade for most working people right now, and that's not a tragedy, it's adaptation. The other side says a country where car ownership keeps shrinking to a thin top layer isn't healthy — family transport, safety, and even road discipline get worse when everyone's squeezed onto two and three wheels. Is this a temporary squeeze that eases once rates and duties ease, or are we watching Sri Lanka quietly become a two-wheeler country for good? Dropped from four wheels to two or three in the last year? Tell us what tipped the decision. කාර් එකක් ගන්න බැරි උනාට, ඔයාගේ ජීවිතේ මෝටර් බයිසිකලයක් හරිම සෑහෙනවද?