Beijing will ban gasoline-powered vehicles that fail to meet emission standards starting Jan 1, 2016.

Vehicles will be banned from entering the city's Sixth Ring Road unless they meet the National Emission Standard II, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.

Beijing currently imposes the National Emission Standard V for vehicles, similar to the Euro V standard in Europe. The city adopted the National Emission Standard I in 1999 and the National Emission Standard II in 2004. With each new standard, pollutants dropped by 30 percent to 50 percent per vehicle.