Tata Motors has identified over a dozen overseas markets to sell commercial vehicles by either setting up manufacturing units, assembly lines or tying up with dealers in those countries, a top company official said.

"For our overseas venture, we have identified countries like South Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and some nations in the Far East," Tata Motors director (commercial vehicle unit) Ravi Kant said on Wednesday.

Exports, which contribute 8-9 per cent to the company's net sales, would go up to 15-20 per cent once this ambitious plan fructifies, he said.

"We are very aggressively looking at tapping the emerging potential of public transport in the developing countries. We will be selling mainly buses in about a dozen countries," he said.

Apart from buses, Tata Motors would also be selling pick-up vehicles in these markets, he said, adding, bus sales have already started in Sri Lanka.

Even if Tata Motors manages to sell a small number of buses, the growth would be "explosive", he said adding of late it has been identified that better growth has been coming from the international markets.

Last year, the commercial vehicle segment clocked 30 per cent growth and it would continue to post 7-8 per cent rise primarily on account of satisfactory progress on the National Highway Development Project, he said.