Sexy Car Girls May Be Banned From Shanghai Auto Show

Visitors may not see female models during this year's Shanghai Automotive Exhibition (SAE), as the organizing committee is contemplating on banning scantily clad girls from the car show.

MOSCOW, January 10 (Sputnik) – Visitors of this year’s Shanghai Automotive Exhibition (SAE) have to focus on cars on display, as scantily clad female models will not appear at the event, Xinhua reports.

“Organizers are considering related measures to ensure that the show returns to its original spirit of showcasing auto technology and products,” says a statement of the organizing committee of the Shanghai Auto Show, as quoted by Bloomberg.

Director of public relations for Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Yang Xueliang says he is aware that the organizing committee will ban models this year. He agrees with the organizers, stating that “it is best to cancel the performances, so as to let visitors enjoy a quiet exhibition”, Xinhua reports.

It should be relatively easy to secure tickets for the China auto show this year @ThatsOnline http://t.co/z8CGoMC7ZI

— Chas Pope (@china_chas) 9 января 2015

However, the proposed ban is not a final decision. The SAE will start on April 22 and until then the organizers said they were soliciting public opinion to improve the exhibition. “We haven’t ruled out the possibility of banning auto show girls.” – said the organizing committee’s statement, according to Xinhua.

Previous car expos have challenged the government’s morality standards by featuring scantily clad models. The Capital Ethics Development Office criticized organizers of the car show in 2012 for “vulgar publicity” after photographs of models wearing a deep V-cut top and a short dress were widely circulating on the Internet, Bloomberg says.

Shanghai and Beijing alternate with each other to host the annual car expo that has become the most important event for automakers to show their products to customers around the world. The previous show in Shanghai drew as many as 813,000 visitors. This year show is facing increased regulations following a tragic stampede on New Year’s Eve that killed 36 people, Bloomberg says.