Auto Shanghai 2015 closes its doors to models

Models rehearse for the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2013) in east China's Shanghai.[File photo/China News Service]

(ECNS) -- The organizing committee of Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2015) has required all participating car manufactures to refrain from using models at the event, The Paper reported on Friday.

The move comes amidst public criticism over the unrestrained use of scantily-clad, sexy models to attract attention, said Yang Xueliang, PR Director of Geely Holding Group.

He added that there were also safety concerns related to large crowds gathering in front of provocative performances.

Car exhibitions should be a platform to exchange ideas and discuss cooperation, and this policy will steer events in that direction, Yang commented.

At one auto show held in Wuhan, Hubei province in 2012, girls as young as five years old paraded in bikinis, drawing heated discussion online.

A PR director for a South Korean carmaker supported the cancelation and said many auto companies had to previously "follow the trend in hiring models" during the past.

Auto Shanghai 2015, one of the largest such events in China, will be held at the newly built National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) from April 22 to 29. The center offers about 400,000 square meters of indoor and 100,000 square meters of outdoor exhibition space