TVR boss Nikolai Smolenski expects the British sportscar maker to build sales internationally.

The company has been hurt by declining new car sales in the UK, its primary marketplace.

Smolenski believes this is partly due to his takeover two years ago, which caused uncertainty over TVR’s future.

This year he expects sales to total 250 units, half that of 2005’s total. However next year TVR will build 380 cars, of which 130 will be for overseas markets. And in 2008, when its new assembly plant comes on line, production will ramp-up to 3,500 units.

An indication of his international intentions will be TVR’s first ever stand at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show.

He also wants to build on TVR’s dealer network here, and has appointed seven new dealers since December, bringing the current total to 22.

The business case demands typical sales of 50 new and 150 used cars per year to ensure profitability.

Nevertheless, the manufacturer’s own attempt at running a dealership, TVR Chiswick, was abandoned in April. It had been operating for only 12 months. Smolenski says “it just didn’t work” and he’s learned to leave sales to his dealers.