Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast): A fast evolving market

Great Wall Hover

* You can see the Top 10 best-selling brands by clicking on the title! *

Today Cote d’Ivoire is under the spotlight! 3,380 new cars were sold in Cote d’Ivoire during the first 6 months 2010, up 22% on 2009. The full year figure was expected to hit 7,000 units for the first time since 1994. These are the latest official sales figures I have, so if you have more recent data please make sure to let me know by commenting on this post!

Street scene in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The Ivoirian market is evolving quickly: previously dominated by French passenger cars, it has transitioned into an Asian 4WD landscape due to the degradation of the country’s roads. Toyota leads the sales at 16.1% market share and should in all likeliness place the Toyota Hilux at the top of the models ranking, with the Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Hardbody also strong.

Mitsubishi L200

The latest trend in the Ivoirian car market is the shift towards low-cost 4WDs: the arrival of Chinese brands (8.1% of the market in 2010) is a big factor in this, with the Great Wall Hover already well established. The Dacia Duster has also started extremely well in Cote d’Ivoire. Other popular cars include the Toyota Yaris Sedan, Daca Logan, Hyundai Accent and Peugeot 207.

More commentaries, Top 10 car brands ranking table, street scenes and videos below.