Rental firms sit back and enjoy the ride after policy change

Executives of the car rental company Yongche are rubbing their hands with delight as representatives of state enterprises beat a path to their doors looking to do business after a major change in government policy.

Hu Xulei, its branding director, says the number of corporate customers the company has surged immediately after the government announced on July 16 that most official cars have to be auctioned.

"Before the guidelines were announced, we had more than 100 government customers," Hu says. "After the policy was announced, the number shot up 30 to 50 percent."