A record number for Beijing but the good times are likely gone. Next year Beijing will only issue 240.000 new license plates.

Beijing’s new vehicle sales topped 891,000 units in 2010, up by 26 percent year-on-year, the Beijing News reported Monday, citing an official with the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA).

Driven by the municipal government’s new license plate policy to ease traffic congestion, 142,000 new vehicles were sold in the capital in December, Sun Hui, chairman with the CADA tangible market branch, said on Jan 9, 2011.

The auto market will face more uncertainty this year and the new policy will need some time to take effect, Sun said.

New vehicle sales in Beijing stood at 493,000 and 700,000 units in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Beijing authorities announced a new measure to ease gridlock on Dec 23, 2010. The measure stipulated that Beijing would grant only 240,000 new license plates this year and declared that a driver may only register one car.

Industry insiders predicted that the new policy’s impact on vehicle sales would come after the Spring Festival.