Plenty of models to gawk at in Detroit

Strong communication skills are key, notes Krevsky. Product specialists are expected to stand on large, rotating turntables for several hours a day, wearing outfits selected to match the image a company wants to convey and promoting the qualities of the vehicle the represent. They’ll sometimes be called on to deliver a memorized script about a specific vehicle, and they earn between $200 and $500 a day, depending on their experience.

Automakers take the job seriously too.

Toyota, for example, currently has 60 product specialists traveling to automotive events inside the United States. “What you see at Detroit is just one element of what happens all over the country during auto show season,” Krevsky said.

Wearing a revealing red dress and a pair of uncomfortable-looking high-heeled shoes, full-time fashion model Krystal was employed by Ferrari to show off its eye-catching 612 Scaglietti sports car at Detroit this week.

Over the past three years, the 25-year-old New York resident has worked on 45 different automotive shows in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta. But as a native of Michigan, Detroit is one of her favorite shows.

“This is my home town, so I have lots of friends who come by and see me — family members, or former colleagues from auto shows. We see each other during our breaks,” she said.

Jim Seida / MSNBC.com If you think product specialists like Krystal, standing next to the wheel of a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti at the Detroit auto show this week, can’t tell one Ferrari from another, you might be surprised.

People are courteous for the most part, but occasionally she attracts some unwanted attention.

“Every day you get someone saying how pretty you are and asking if you’re single, but my response is always the same: No, I’m not single and no I can’t go out with you,” she said. “I get that sort of attention on Broadway in New York, so I’m used to it and I can deal with it.”

Women like Krystal can make a career out of modeling for cars, flying thousands of miles each year from state fairs to auto shows around the country following the auto show calendar, which typically begins in September and ends in May, spanning the period between The State Fair of Texas and the New York International Auto Show.

Jennifer, 24, who graduated from college two years ago with a degree in marketing and human resources and now works in a hair salon, says Detroit is her first auto show, but she’s considering working in more shows in the future.

Jim Seida / MSNBC.com Models like Krystal can make a career out of modeling for cars.

“There are people who go from city to city, staying in hotels and doing different car shows, but I wanted to try it out and experience it first,” she said. “Its definitely hard work, and we have to put in long hours, but it’s fun and I definitely enjoy it. You get to see lots of famous people,” she said.

For Yuliya, 24, a professional model who is originally from the Ukraine and now lives in the Ann Arbor area, the best thing about working an auto show circuit is the opportunity to meet people from different countries and backgrounds.

“We work long hours, and it’s hard on your feet, but they are really treating us so wonderfully, I can’t complain,” she said. “And standing next to these cars is so wonderful. I’ve dreamed of Ferraris since I was a little girl, and now I get to stand next to one.”

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