BEIJING (AFP) - Scantily clad female models who adorn vehicle displays could be banned from this year's Shanghai motor show, state media reported Saturday.

"We haven't ruled out the possibility of banning auto-show girls," the organising committee for the Shanghai Automotive Exhibition said in remarks carried by the Xinhua news agency.

"We are soliciting public opinion to improve the exhibition," the committee said in a statement.

Female models have been a mainstay at international auto shows for decades and were featured at last year's Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

But Yang Xueliang, director of public relations for Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, wrote in an online post on Friday he had been told that "auto show models are to be banned this year".

"It is best to cancel the performances, so as to let visitors enjoy a quiet exhibition," Xinhua quoted him as saying.

No reason has been given for the possible ban, but the media agency said the decision could be down to "moral concern" and security considerations after a deadly stampede in the city on New Year's Eve killed 36.

Shanghai's government has since announced tougher registration procedures for large crowd events, which will face cancellation if safety rules are violated.

Xinhua also said the committee may be troubled by the increasingly revealing clothing worn by models at the event, with some even donning see-through clothing without underwear.