SHANGHAI, Nov. 28 -- Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd, the domestic partner of BMW AG, will export 158,000 self-branded sedans to Germany within five years, Xinhua news agency reported today.

It is the first time a domestic auto maker is exporting its own brand of car to Germany, according to Xinhua.

The authorized BMW producer in China signed a contract yesterday with HSO Co Ltd, a German auto retailer in Bremen, to export its self-developed Zhonghua cars, Xinhua said.

The first 3,000 Zunchi, a mid-class model, will set off from Dalian, a city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, to Bremen next month.

Next year, the number will jump to 15,000 and Brilliance will launch sales in other European countries, Xinhua said.

Zhonghua cars have passed German emission and safety qualifications as well as other relevant German laws and regulations, said Qi Yumin, chairman of Brilliance Auto.

The general manager of HSO said they made the decision after deep market research. Zhonghua cars have a comparably low price and good quality, he said.

A lot of Germans showed their interests in the brand since it participated in auto shows held in Germany, he added.

The move comes after Brilliance broke into more than 23 overseas markets with 33 dealers in Africa, South and North America as well as Middle Eastern regions.

Brilliance exported 3,724 units in the first six months of this year, an increase of 95 percent. It generated US$50 million in export sales revenue, up 107 percent year-on-year, the company said.

Chinese carmakers are exporting more because their high-quality models are priced competitively with models made by international giants due to inexpensive labor costs in China.