Many of the photographers at Taiwan’s largest auto show are aiming their cameras not just at models of concept cars but also at the showgirls who survived a stringent selection process that began months ago to allow them to strut their stuff at the show.
Ann Chen, who is working for Suzuki during the Dec. 26 to Jan. 3 Taipei International Auto Show, said that unlike other types of show, clients exhibiting at the auto show started looking for models and showgirls much earlier.
This year, the process started as early as April.
Chen, who is also a model agent, said that the size of the new cars on show is one of the key factors in selecting models.
“Companies that plan to display large cars prefer tall girls, while those with small ones choose shorter ones,” she said on Monday.
The preparation process for the auto show is also longer than for other shows, Chen added.
The screening process requested by clients started in July or August this year, compared with two weeks to two months of preparation for computer and other shows, she said.
Every screening interview is a “ruthless” process for the candidates, she said.
“After the screening, you have to learn how to cheer yourself up and go for the next one if you fail to make the list,” she said.
At the auto show, the 18th of its kind, the models do not just stand there and smile.
They have to handle a variety of tasks.
“Some need to know how to dance, some serve as emcees for activities, while others give away small gifts at the reception desks,” Chen said.
Chen, who wears a red wig and dresses up as a car-race girl along with seven colleagues, has to put on a 20-minute performance five times a day during weekdays and six times on the weekend.
Models at the auto show often outshine their peers at other shows, Chen said, explaining that “the car companies focus very much on the looks and temperament of the models.”
Another key element in the presentation of models and showgirls is their costumes, which are tailor-made to go with the cars on display.
“Attention has to be paid to every little detail of the costumes. For example, the car logo must always be seen and visible in photos, no matter how the girls pose,” said Coraline Lin (林乃卉), the publicist for the event.
It costs NT$6,000 (US$186) to NT$15,000 on average to hire a model for a day in Taiwan, Lin said.
Nevertheless, not every car company uses models or showgirls as the principal means to help promote their products.
Companies such as Audi and Porsche prefer to appeal to visitors by focusing less on dancing showgirls and more on setting up VIP rooms where visitors can have a seat and enjoy a complimentary dessert.
This tactic might work on Jean-Francois Fort, a French car fan who was surprised to see so many people pointing their cameras at the girls rather than at the cars, and the long line of people waiting to have their photo taken with the girls.
“They should at least take some photos of the cars,” he said.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
FUTURE PLANS: Although the electric vehicle market is getting more competitive, Hon Hai would stick to its goal of seizing a 5 percent share globally, Young Liu said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), a major iPhone assembler and supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s chips, yesterday said it has introduced a rotating chief executive structure as part of the company’s efforts to cultivate future leaders and to enhance corporate governance. The 50-year-old contract electronics maker reported sizable revenue of NT$6.16 trillion (US$189.67 billion) last year. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), has been under the control of one man almost since its inception. A rotating CEO system is a rarity among Taiwanese businesses. Hon Hai has given leaders of the company’s six