NSFW: The Naked Truth About Chinese Car Shows

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

The car show in Haikou on the Chinese island of Hainan is small as far as car shows go. Organizers had to try harder to attract visitors. Or, being small, they had to save money, and they decided to spare the garments of their female product specialists. They appeared covered in not much more than flowers.

Caution, the following pictures could be considered as offensive and NSFW in Sharia jurisdictions and parts of America, but have become quite common in officially still communist China.

According to Tycho at Carnewschina, who uncovers these things for TTAC ( and who has higher res pictures), “organizers of the show called it ‘art’, as in body paint, but authorities weren’t that stupid and the show received a stern warning.”

It has become customary ( see Chengdu and Beijing) that the stern warning are handed out towards the end of the show, guaranteeing maximum, well, exposure for the show, a kept face for the authorities, and, well, coverage as far as TTAC in the U.S. of A.

How did the Chairman put it? Let a thousand flowers bloom. He did not specify the location of the blooming.

Either that, or the organizers took the “flower street” concept far too literal.



Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • JimothyLite JimothyLite on Sep 16, 2012

    Bertel, do you find that your job becomes harder when you cover these shows?

  • FJ60LandCruiser FJ60LandCruiser on Sep 16, 2012

    Considering that these girls will probably be spending the night with some syphilitic senior Communist party member, a billionaire robber baron who makes iPads with slave labor, or the sadistic spoiled son of one of these men... I can't imagine why they're not smiling. Get used to your Chinese overlords. We'll all be working for them soon enough because we can't be bothered to pay Americans fair wages to build our cheap crap.

  • El scotto They should be supping with a very, very long spoon.
  • El scotto [list=1][*]Please make an EV that's not butt-ugly. Not Jaguar gorgeous but Buick handsome will do.[/*][*] For all the golf cart dudes: A Tesla S in Plaid mode will be the fastest ride you'll ever take.[/*][*]We have actual EV owners posting on here. Just calmly stated facts and real world experience. This always seems to bring out those who would argue math.[/*][/list=1]For some people an EV will never do, too far out in the country, taking trips where an EV will need recharged, etc. If you own a home and can charge overnight an EV makes perfect sense. You're refueling while you're sleeping.My condo association is allowing owners to install chargers. You have to pay all of the owners of the parking spaces the new electric service will cross. Suggested fee is 100$ and the one getting a charger pays all the legal and filing fees. I held out for a bottle of 30 year old single malt.Perhaps high end apartments will feature reserved parking spaces with chargers in the future. Until then non home owners are relying on public charge and one of my neighbors is in IT and he charges at work. It's call a perk.I don't see company owned delivery vehicles that are EV's. The USPS and the smiley boxes should be the 1st to do this. Nor are any of our mega car dealerships doing this and but of course advertising this fact.I think a great many of the EV haters haven't came to the self-actualization that no one really cares what you drive. I can respect and appreciate what you drive but if I was pushed to answer, no I really don't care what you drive. Before everyone goes into umbrage over my last sentence, I still like cars. Especially yours.I have heated tiles in my bathroom and my kitchen. The two places you're most likely to be barefoot. An EV may fall into to the one less thing to mess with for many people.Macallan for those who were wondering.
  • EBFlex The way things look in the next 5-10 years no. There are no breakthroughs in battery technology coming, the charging infrastructure is essentially nonexistent, and the price of entry is still way too high.As soon as an EV can meet the bar set by ICE in range, refueling times, and price it will take off.
  • Jalop1991 Way to bury the lead. "Toyota to offer two EVs in the states"!
  • Jalop1991 I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
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