But the Brilliance spokeswoman added that the firm currently has no plans to manufacture cars in Europe.

Earlier this year, the company began to assemble the Zhonghua sedan in Egypt in partnership with a local firm with kits from China.

At present, Chinese automakers' major markets are in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

The Brilliance spokeswoman stressed the Zhonghua sedan had passed Europe's compulsory safety and exhaust emission tests.

To improve the quality of its vehicles, the firm in September hired a former vice-president from its joint venture with BMW as its chief quality officer.

The venture is making BMW's 3 and 5 Series sedans. Besides the Zhonghua, Brilliance's line-up includes own-brand mini vans and light-duty trucks.

Its sales surged 79 per cent year-on-year to 174,000 vehicles in the first 10 months of this year.

The firm aims to boost annual sales to 500,000 vehicles by 2010, up from the 200,000 units anticipated this year.

Exports of China-made vehicles and spare parts have been growing rapidly in recent years thanks to domestic manufacturers' accelerated efforts to gain a presence in overseas markets.

In the first three quarters of this year, China's vehicle and spare part exports jumped 45.37 per cent year-on-year to US$20.51 billion, according to industry data.

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