Audi recently held a ceremony to deliver 100 A6L sedans to Shouqi Car Rental Co to tap the high-end auto leasing market in Beijing.

The cooperation with Shouqi is a strategic move by Audi, said Zhang Xiaojun, executive deputy general manager of the Audi sales division at Sino-German joint venture FAW Volkswagen.

He said the car rental business has enormous potential in China, especially in big cities with severe traffic congestion and limits on new license plates.

"It is the most effective way to ease traffic pressure and meet customer needs for mobility," he noted.

Customers can then choose to buy the cars when lease period ends.

According to figures provided by Audi, 35 percent of new car sales in the US are to rental companies or to customers after they rent vehicles.

The rate is about the same in Western Europe, but only 2 percent in China.

Audi has also long provided rental vehicles to government agencies and companies in China.