Would-be Beijing motorists will have even slimmer than usual chances to win a car license plate in the January lottery.

The number of drivers entering the license plate lottery in Beijing hit a record peak of 1.43 million this month, according to Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

The strong interest is in stark contrast with the number of license plates up for grabs.

In December, only one driver in about 71 applicants was lucky enough to secure a plate number, the commission said.

The rate might see further slump, as another 70,000 new applications have joined the pool that already has more than 1.36 million people vying for license plates.

Beijing conducted its first car license plate lottery, which is designed to restrict vehicle purchases and curtail worsening traffic jams, in January 2011.