Tata Motors Ltd, which has just emerged as the number two passenger vehicles company in the country, said on Friday that it would be exporting 20,000 cars to UK in 2004 even as its indigenously developed Indica is all set to hit the UK roads this month.

Shipments of Indica cars to UK started in October last year as per a tie-up with MG Rover and already around 5000 cars have been despatched, Rajive Dube, VP, (passenger car business unit) of Tata Motors said in Kolkata on Friday.

As per the arrangement MG Rover would market 'Indica' in UK as 'City Rover', and it is expected to hit the road there sometime this month, he said.

Tata Motors would be exporting 100,000 Indica cars to UK over a period of five years as per agreement with Rover and this year around 20,000 vehicles would be exported, he said.

Dube, who was here in connection with the launch of new version of Indica-V2, however, said that export to the UK may be higher depending on customer response to the car.

During 2003 Tata Motors has exported around 7,500 cars and it is targetting to substantially increase this in current year as arrangement with Rover only would account for around 20,000 vehicles.

"We would be exporting Indica to a number of other European countries as well during the year", he said.