30 Days in Cote d’Ivoire: Market Study, Key Client Visits, Exhibition Support & the All-New Passenger Three-Wheeler We’re Building

Two of our sales engineers recently returned from a 30-day business trip to Côte d’Ivoire. It was a working mission with five clear objectives: study the market, visit long-standing and high-volume customers, help clients organize a local exhibition, teach customers how to assemble three-wheeled vehicles, and respond to every customer requirement on the spot. They came back with experience, feedback, and a clear direction for our next product.

Reading the Market Firsthand

No report can replace boots on the ground. Our engineers traveled from Abidjan’s busy districts to smaller interior towns, observing how three-wheeled vehicles are actually used. The conclusion was consistent: the Ivorian market is growing quickly and moving beyond cheap imports. Buyers now care about durability, load capacity, and after-sales support more than price alone.

 

Visiting Key Customers

A core part of the trip was visiting our old and major customers face to face. Our engineers walked through their workshops, inspected their fleets, and listened to their concerns. Customers shared valuable insights about spare part availability, wear patterns under local road conditions, and the configurations they truly need. Several customers expressed interest in expanding their fleets, and some asked specifically for passenger-focused models.

Supporting a Local Exhibition

One highlight was helping our clients stage an on-the-ground exhibition. Our engineers arranged vehicle displays, prepared technical demonstrations, and met walk-in buyers. The hands-on assembly demonstrations drew the strongest response. Watching a three-wheeler assembled piece by piece built far more confidence than any brochure could.

Teaching Assembly and Maintenance

Perhaps the most valuable part of the mission was training. Our engineers conducted assembly and maintenance sessions for customers’ teams, covering frame assembly, wiring, routine servicing, and troubleshooting. The goal was simple: enable our partners to assemble, repair, and maintain their vehicles independently. A customer who can fix a problem themselves does not lose a week waiting for parts or technicians.

Meeting Every Customer Requirement

Throughout the 30 days, our engineers kept a detailed log of customer requirements, covering everything from load capacity and road clearance to parts packaging and documentation. Every requirement was recorded and fed directly into our product planning.

Back Home: Review and a New Direction

After returning, we held a company meeting where the two engineers presented their report. They shared lessons learned, summarized customer suggestions, and highlighted the opportunities they discovered. The most important conclusion: customers across Côte d’Ivoire want a dedicated passenger-carrying three-wheeler that is comfortable, safe, and easy to maintain.

Acting on that feedback, we are now developing an all-new passenger three-wheeled vehicle. This model will reflect exactly what our customers asked for: comfort, durability, and reliability, built for West African roads.

Our 30 days in Côte d’Ivoire confirmed that three-wheeled vehicles are essential infrastructure for trade and daily life there. We aim to be more than a supplier: by training local teams, supporting local events, and building vehicles that survive real conditions, we are the partner our customers can build their businesses on. Stay tuned for the launch of our new passenger model.