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Three years ago China’s Capital Ethics Development Office put the Beijing Motor Show over its knee and gave it a light spanking. What was the transgression? The female models paid to stand with the vehicles at the show caused “a negative social impact” with their suggestive attire, and the show was warned to never again give into “such vulgar publicity.”
We’ll let you decide for yourselves, but Exhibits A and B in the indictment were Chinese models Gan Lulu and Li Yingzhi (site may not be safe for work) with (dis)honorable mentions going to the women at the Jeep stand. The same year, the Chengdu Motor Show took government heat over the same issue, especially the salacious models posing with the Toyota Camry and Kia Sorento.
This year’s Shanghai Motor Show, which rotates with Beijing, won’t let it happen again. Bloomberg reports that show organizers have publicly stated their intent to keep the focus on cars and technology, and that they are “not ruling out banning car show models.” The country’s largest show is undoubtedly hoping to avoid getting called out by state television, as happened to a different auto show a month ago.
So come April 22-29, it’s going to be cars and cars and more cars at the Shanghai show. Which is what this is really all about anyway, isn’t it?