Chery Automobile, a major Chinese independent car maker, aims to start exporting to Europe after 2015, a senior executive said.

"Currently, we are still focusing on Russia and South America, among others, as our major export markets. Our goal is to start selling vehicles in Europe after 2015," Lu Jianhui, deputy general manager of Chery, told an industry forum in the southern Chinese city of Chengdu.

Chery expects to ship 180,000 vehicles overseas this year, double last year's roughly 90,000 units, Lu said.

The number would hopefully increase to 1 million units in 7 to 8 years, he added.

Chery, which started selling cars overseas in 2002, is now China's biggest auto exporter.