Sexy models face ban at Shanghai Auto Show to put focus on cars

Scantily clad car models will probably be banned at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, its organisers say as they vow to put the focus back on cars.

An official with the Shanghai branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, one of the organisers, told the South China Morning Post that they were considering removing the sexy women - a staple in car exhibitions - from this year's show.

"The organisers are soliciting opinions from various parties and are considering taking some measures, including banning car models, to create a civilised show for exhibitors and visitors," read a statement by Yang Xueliang , public relations director for Geely Automobile, an exhibitor, on WeChat.

Car industry officials say the organisers are under pressure from the authorities to avoid arousing people's interest in sex-related matters. If the ban goes ahead, it will be the toughest action the mainland's ideological authorities have taken so far in policing trade shows.

Car shows have gained notoriety in recent years after some organisers hired scantily clad - even nude - women to pose with their vehicles to draw visitors.

Hundreds of models were hired for the Shanghai Auto Show in previous years, attracting more than 800,000 visitors each time.

Shanghai and Beijing take turns to host the show each year. This year's event, from April 20 to April 29, will be held at the National Exhibition and Conference Centre in Hongqiao .

Wei Xin, general manager of Shanghai Zhanxin Exhibition Service, which sets up exhibition halls at the car show, said ticket sales would definitely be affected if the models were banned.

"Visitor numbers are bound to drop because many are attracted by the flashy, nearly nude girls," Wei said. "New cars flanked by stars or famous models attract more visitors."

Top movie stars or famous fashion models earned as much as 100,000 yuan (HK$126,000) for flanking the cars for just a few hours, he said.

The potential ban on car models follows propaganda authorities' controversial censorship of television drama The Empress of China. Images of actresses in cleavage-revealing costumes, deemed too sexy, were cropped so that viewers could not see below their necks.