BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese star sprinter Zhang Peimeng sued an auto maker for allegedly using his image and demanded 310,000 yuan (about 48,400 dollars) in compensation, the Legal Evening News reported on Friday.

Zhang, an image ambassador for BMW, filed the lawsuit to the Haidian District People's Court in Beijing, claiming Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motors used his image for commercials on their company's WeChat page without his permission.

The Chinese men's 100m champion said that the company violated his legal rights and hurt his endorsements.

Zhang helped China finish second in the 4x100m relay final in a new Asian record time of 38.01 seconds at the Beijing world athletics championships in August this year.