Jeremy Clarkson, former host of the BBC Top Gear Show, had once said in his own style that if his car was bigger than another man’s, it meant a certain part of his male body was also bigger than the other man’s.

Some things don’t change. Even as a 17-year-old girl is leading the world into a battle against fuels, all auto shows in the world still have a bevy of women hovering over the displays with static smiles on their face.

Bring on the girls

The hotties saved the day again at the Auto Expo 2020 at Greater Noida with most Original Equipment Manufacturers. The girls added glitz to an otherwise lacklustre auto show beset with the economic and coronavirus crises.

To steam things up, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) had models lined up in shimmering silver and white stilettoed boots to unveil the Futuro-e Concept, an electric car that is meant to save the planet.

Sumati Arora, with Preeti Tongar and Honeysha Rana, were at the JBM stall that displayed electric buses. They wore casual navy blue tunics with white belts and ties and white wedges on their feet. At the Tata Motors pavilion, models sported black tights with jerseys, boots and caps to go with the sporty new SUVs.

No object?

When asked why the best-seller company needed to have models with their cars, Shashank Srivastava, executive director, sales and marketing, MSIL, said the models were being used to inform visitors better.

He denied that the women were being “objectified”. “Women are naturally more polite and accessible than men. Our intention is not to objectify them. The centre of attraction has to be the car or the brand. We choose young women because our brand is a youthful brand,” said Srivastava.

We wish women got selected for other jobs for their “natural” abilities. And all men aren’t rude, are they?

The truth is, a woman remains a man’s best accessory. Like a car. A woman is often thought of as a car and vice versa. A car’s contours are often compared to a woman’s. A car is often referred to by the pronoun “she”.

Difficult job

But it can’t be easy standing on a rotating platform, propped up on impossible heels and being gawked at by the men, who will elbow out any competition to take a selfie with the display objects.

“We have to be firm with those who get too close. But it’s easy money for a few days’ work,” said Sumati Arora, an English Literature graduate from Delhi University.

It can’t be easy being an object of fantasy. It can’t be easy being a car -- or a model selling it!