United Motors Lanka PLC (UML) has reported its highest-ever profit for a financial year, posting a Rs. 3.61 billion Group profit for the year ended 31 March 2026, the diversified motor distributor said in announcing its FY26 results. The figure is up from Rs. 73 million in the previous year, a 4,847% jump.
Group revenue reached Rs. 52.36 billion, compared with Rs. 11.77 billion a year earlier — an increase of Rs. 40.58 billion or 345%, Daily FT reported. At the Company level, United Motors Lanka recorded a profit of Rs. 2.20 billion, up from Rs. 338 million, a 551% rise. Company revenue grew to Rs. 25.77 billion from Rs. 6.33 billion, a 307% expansion.
The recovery was driven primarily by the rebound in vehicle sales following the reopening of vehicle imports, the company said, alongside continued momentum in after-sales operations and the export of locally manufactured trailers through subsidiary Dutch Lanka Trailers. UML’s diversified portfolio — ranging from entry-level passenger vehicles to SUVs, trucks and buses — helped it capture demand across multiple segments.
The result tracks Sri Lanka’s wider vehicle-import surge since the ban was lifted last year, which has reshaped both Treasury revenue and listed-motor balance sheets. The Central Bank’s Q1 figures showing Rs. 195 billion of vehicle imports — a 900% jump on a year earlier flagged the foreign-exchange pressure from the rush, while the 50% vehicle import duty surcharge has been a parallel fiscal response. UML’s FY26 profitability rebound — and the Rs. 80 billion EBITDA result at John Keells reported a day earlier — together mark one of the strongest corporate-earnings clusters of the post-restructuring cycle.
UML said it enters the new financial year well positioned to sustain growth, citing a strengthened operational base, a diversified product offering and improving market conditions.
Source: Daily FT.
