The capital's initiative to rid the city of polluting vehicles has taken 458,000 old cars off the road, and the government is providing more benefits to local motorists to encourage them to scrap aging vehicles.

"The campaign has not only boosted the local car market to some extent, which had been stagnant, but has also substantially improved the capital's air quality," Li Kunsheng, director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau's department of motor vehicles, said at a news conference on Tuesday.

The policy offers people who get rid of cars made in 1995 or earlier subsidies of 2,500 yuan ($390) to 14,500 yuan. Sellers who buy a new car from qualified dealers can receive up to 10,000 yuan.