Beijing will limit 2011 issuance of new car license plates to 240,000 through a new lottery system. The move came under ever-growing pressure from daily traffic congestion. With the new rule in place, people swamp an official website to try to snag coveted qualification to buy a car while car dealers have seen a sharp fall in business.

Car sales enter the slow lane

China's passenger car sales continued to enjoy staggering growth in 2010 thanks to government incentives and the overall economic recovery. [Full story]

Beijing to limit issuance of new car plates The Beijing municipal government said Thursday it will limit 2011 issuance of new car license plates to 240,000 and implement harsh traffic control measures to ease the city's traffic congestion. [Full story]

•  Beijing to announce traffic rules

•  1 car per person plan mulled 

Beijing's auto sales crash

Beijing car dealerships endured a cold, lonely Christmas after the city announced Thursday an annual automobile-registration cap that went into effect Friday but failed to immediately relieve congestion. [Full story]

Car control sparks buying boom

Beijing's recent effort to improve the city's glued traffic conditions has panicked people into a car-buying spree, the Beijing News reported. [Full story]

License plate restrictions may suffer engine failure

In a bid to ease traffic congestion, Beijing recently started a cap-and-lottery issuance system, a policy called by netizens as "the toughest congestion-tackling measure in history." [Full story]

•   Not just too many cars, too many traffic restrictions