Sri Lanka, Sept. 30 -- Sri Lankan vehicle buyers are overwhelmingly gravitating towards smaller cars and compact crossovers, latest registration data show.

Data compiled by JB Securities showed that small cars accounted for 96.2 percent of brand-new car registrations in August, with 607 units falling below 1,000cc and 100kW.

The preference was even more pronounced in the pre-owned market, where 1,924 units, or 97.3 percent, were small cars. Suzuki led pre-owned car registrations with 681 units, including 523 Wagon Rs, followed by Toyota with 459, Nissan with 354 and Daihatsu with 350.

A similar trend was evident in the SUV market, where small crossovers of up to 1,500cc accounted for 3,099 units, or 96 percent, of August registrations...