Shanghai Auto Show bans use of 'booth babe' models

A pair of models pose at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show (Autofocus)

The Shanghai auto show in China will ban the use of "booth babe" models from its April 2015 event, the China Daily newspaper quoted show organizers this week.

"Activities with low taste and those that violate social morality are prohibited,” organizers behind the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition said in an announcement, referring to the use of attractive young women standing by or lying on top of new cars on display.

“Companies should focus on product quality and technology [and] we hope exhibitors promote their products in a healthy and classy way," they said.

Organizers with the Shanghai auto show, which is China's oldest and largest, said they enacted the ban after surveying exhibitors for their opinions on the use of models, but some publications like CarNewsChina think a prudish Chinese government is in fact behind the change.

Rumours of a possible ban cropped up in January and were met with backlash from showgoers; however, Chinese automakers seem to support the show organizers' decision.

"Auto shows in other cities should also stop using models," the public relations head for China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group wrote. “Give a pure automobile show back to customers.”

A model interviewed by China Daily argued that models have become an integral part of car show culture in China over the past few years, and that most manufacturers avoid the use of too-scantily-clad models because they would "ruin the product's image."

The Beijing auto show made headlines in 2012 when several automakers employed completely nude models on their display stands.