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(16 Mar 2018) LEADIN: At the Geneva Motor Show, some automakers want visitors to focus their minds more on the models - the cars, that is, not the women. In the wake of the #MeToo movement's explosion and growing awareness about sexual harassment, some auto executives have been taking a new look at the traditional use of often scantily-clad women on display stands at auto shows. STORYLINE: It's a common sight at the annual Geneva Motor Show. A model in an evening dress, in front of a fast car, while mostly male visitors take photos. Some companies say a cultural shift is in the air. But a walk through this year's Geneva Motor Show suggests the industry still actively associates its products with female sensuality and uses models to leverage that. At an event to promote an initiative called "Girls On Track" - aiming to bring more young women and girls in to the motorsport world - former and current female race drivers took the stage to say that the old male-dominated world is changing, albeit slowly. "You know, I don't think that we're going to be able to change the situation from one day to the next," says Susie Wolff, a former development driver for the Williams Formula One team. "I'm also not greatly over-motivated to see the women as normal handing out leaflets and standing next to the cars, being objectified. But I think we are making change in a positive way." To be sure, glamourous heavily made-up models are still on the stands at the Geneva Motor Show, though a sampling suggests there's maybe a bit more clothing and a bit less flesh. Tatiana Calderón, a test driver for Swiss Formula 1 team Sauber and ambassador for "Girls on Track" initiative, says she can sense that things are changing in the motoring world. "I mean, I think it's been the culture for so many years (to have booth models)," she says. "I think change is happening, we see in Formula One, they decided that there won't be any more grid girls." Many booths at the show have no models, instead employing male and female staff that can answer questions and help potential customers. There are no models on the Rolls-Royce stand. "I mean, we never looked in to optics or whatever when it comes to our presenters or our people who are explaining our cars here," says Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes. "Our customers coming here expect from us that we can properly explain what our product is all about. And that is for me the more the important thing." At the Toyota stand, groups of women and men stand ready with tablet computers to show visitors the Japanese company's latest vehicles. Johan van Zyl, the head of Toyota Motor Europe, says his company isn't using women models to shape the image of the vehicles in a specific way. "It's all about explaining the product and giving product knowledge," he says. "Of course, models can also be utilised, but we don't want to make a derogatory type of display of females. It's not our company value, and it's not what we want to be. Totally against it, to be quite frank." Still, change comes hard, and not all companies are on board. Car makers such as KIA have models at their booth. And models at smaller companies such as Chinese carmaker LvChi, Dutch tire maker Vredestein and Italian oil manufacturer Petronas Selenia are wearing more revealing clothing than at other stands. "If I'm honest, I can sense very little difference in the way the car companies are using the women on their stands," says Jim Holder, editorial director of 'Autocar' magazine. The annual Geneva International Motor Show opens to the public today (8 March) and runs until March 18. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...