Tianjin authorities announced tough new restrictions on driving, and on new car buyers in the hope of easing the city's air pollution. The city has abruptly stopped issuing licence plates until January and said that in March most cars will not be allowed on the road one day a week. The new orders were announced on Sunday evening, leading local car buyers to swarm dealerships in the hope of beating the midnight deadline.

Midnight on Sunday... not your usual time to shop for a car. This was the scene at dealerships throughout the city just hours after the city announced it would -- on Monday -- stop issuing licence plates until mid January, when it's expected to come with new regulations that will restrict the number of new car license plates issued each month. Some dealers sold more cars in an hour than they normally sell in a week... with buyers paying in full.

Tianjin authorities haven't announce how many license plates they plan to issue each month after the total ban on new plates is lifted in mid- January.

Tianjin also said that beginning in March motorists will be restricted from driving in the city one workday linking the last number of their licence plate with the day they are not allowed to drive. Most motorists seemed to understand that the restrictions are necessary.

Used car dealers were also swamped by thousands of sellers and buyers hoping to complete a deal before midnight. Employees of the city's vehicle registration centers worked throughout the night to complete the massive pile of of applications received on Sunday.

While the new restrictions were imposed with only a few hours notice they weren't unexpected. Tainjin is a late comer to the list of cities that limit the number of licence plates issued each month -- Shanghai holds a monthly auction and Beijing has a lottery for new car plates and restricts motorists from driving one day a week.