Ivory Coast to purchase 3,600 buses, trucks from India's Ashok Leyland

The Ivory Coast government will buy 3,600 buses and trucks from Indian automaker Ashok Leyland in a $200 million deal, Ashok Leyland said on Monday.

“I am proud that the Government of Cote D'Ivoire has chosen products from Ashok Leyland, well-renowned for their reliability and quality," Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod Dasari said. "This is the largest contract for this country with any firm in India, and also represents the largest such contract to date for the company. We are proud to be partnering with the visionary government of Cote D'Ivoire and look forward to building this as a base for further growth in West Africa."

Dasari credited the Ministry of Commerce, the Indian Embassy and India's Export Import Bank with facilitating the deal. India's Ex-Im Bank helped finance the contract.

The vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2016.

Ashok Leyland is a member of the Hinduja Group and is the second-largest commercial vehicle maker in India and the fourth largest bus maker in the world. More than 700,000 of their trucks are on the road today, serving customers in 50 countries. The company reports overall annual sales of over $2.3 billion.