PARIS, April 22 -- Chinese carmaker Chery said Tuesday it wants to manufacture a small electric vehicle in Europe for the European market.

"We want to build a French car for the French," Chery France's director Hanbang Yu told AFP.

Chery is China's third-largest carmaker, but it has long been China's top exporter, selling abroad half of its 2.8 million vehicles it manufactured last year.

But it has only recently begun to sell cars in Europe, where it lags behind Chinese rival SAIC which sells cars in the region under the historic British badge MG.

Chery has been boosting the sales network of its Jaecoo and Omoda brands in Europe, which launched in France this month.

To reinforce its European operations, Chery has decided to install a...