China's leading car manufacturer SAIC Motor Corp Ltd is gearing up to export more commercial vehicles as sluggish demand plagues the domestic market.

The company's commercial division is set to double the export of the Maxus model by next year, 21st Century Business Herald quoted general manger Lan Qingsong as saying.

Lan forecast the annual figure will reach 3,500 to 4,000 units in 2013. Overseas sales are expected to account for 20 percent of the overall pot within five years, with Europe to be the next target market.

That marks an ambitious step for the company, as the vehicle debuted in Australia only in August, using the LDV name under a dual-brand strategy deployed by the company.

As a latecomer to the segment, SAIC currently boasts around 200,000 commercial vehicles, a far cry from the goal of 500,000 units by the end of 2015.

SAIC's joint ventures are also poised to extend footprints to foreign markets. SAIC-IVECO Hongyan Commercial Vehicle Co Ltd revealed earlier that it plans to export more than 1,000 units from 2011 to 2015.

hewei@chinadaily.com.cn