The SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Car Rally being held in conjunction with the 14th SAARC Summit held in New Delhi was ceremonially flagged off in New Delhi by the leaders of the eight SAARC countries on April 3 . The rally participants will reach Sri Lanka on April 8. Between April 10 and 12, the 28 participating vehicles will cover a distance of 900 km covering the best of Sri Lankan beaches, landscapes and historical sites.

The Rally began at Cox Bazaar on March 15 with about 120 participants from SAARC countries. The Rally has already covered Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and India. The Rally covers over 8200 km, across varying terrain with the motto of 'connecting people, strengthening ties' on the way. The first ever SAARC Car Rally has proved to be a mega event of 2007 that has showcased the oneness, and diversity, of the region like never before, and has attempted to tap the vast potential of intra-SAARC trade, investment and tourism opportunities.

The Rally is being organized by the SAARC Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs, India and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the assistance of all SAARC countries. It seeks to enhance public-private sector partnership. TATA Motors are the vehicle sponsors for the event. The India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) is also supporting the event, along with Indian public sector oil marketing companies.

The seeds of this unique initiative were sown in November 2005 at the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka where Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh announced, "India offers to hold a South Asian car Rally. This would be a run up to our next Summit. It would symbolise vividly our regional identity and also draw attention to the urgent need to improve our SAARC transport infrastructure". The idea received overwhelming support from all other Member States, and in true SAARC spirit, all countries have pledged complete logistics and hospitality support for the success of the Rally. The private sector in SAARC region too has come forward very enthusiastically, making it a successful public-private partnership.

Coinciding with the Rally, key business events have also been planned, on sector-specific subjects, in each of the SAARC nations through which the Rally would traverse. A major aspect that the Rally organisers plan to highlight is the immense untapped potential of intra-SAARC trade. In 2004, the total value of merchandise exports reported by the South Asian countries (excluding Bhutan) was US $ 102.9 billion, of which only US $ 6.4 billion was destined for the SAARC member states.

The Sri Lankan Leg of the Rally starts on April 8 when all the rally participants and media teams arrive in Colombo from Mumbai. The flag off ceremony of the Sri Lankan Leg will be on April 10 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The first of the three day event would see the Rally driving on the southern coastline and reaching Kataragama in the evening. On the second day it will traverse from Tissamaharama to Kandy via the scenic hills of the central highland with a stopover at Nuwara Eliya. The rally will proceed to Dalada Maligawa in Kandy for a religious ceremony and pageant. On the final day the Rally will drive from Kandy to Anuradhapura to visit the Ruwanvalisaya and Sri Maha Bodhiya and then return to Colombo via Kurunegala and Ambepussa.

The SAARC Rally will conclude all the driving in Sri Lanka. The rally teams will then head to the Maldives for a symbolic visit on the 13th April for an official closing ceremony.