A record 1-million-plus people in Beijing competed for fewer than 20,000 registration certificates qualifying them to buy cars through a lottery system on Sunday.

With a fixed number of car registrations issued each month and a lengthening waiting list, many potential car buyers are losing hope.

Some 1.05 million qualified applicants entered the registration lottery in August - 110,000 of them for the first time - and only 19,926 registrations will be issued, the city office in charge of the lottery system said on Saturday.