Ford Considers Eliminating New-car Smell. Wait…What?!?
Who doesn’t love new-car smell?!? Apparently, some killjoys in China have an aversion to something most vehicle owners relish.
There are some scents that are simply irresistible: Bread baking, freshly cut grass, and new-car smell. Honestly, we love the smell of gasoline and a new car together, that is perfection. But Ford has discovered that in some markets customers actually complain about the new-car smell. First off, how dare they! And second, who doesn’t love that intoxicating scent?
Well, Ford-buying customers in China, apparently. Hmmm. Maybe all those years of breathing in smog have messed with their olfactory senses.
“Unpleasant interior smell/odor remains the top industry problem in that market,” Brent Gruber, senior director, global automotive, at J.D. Power told the Detroit Free Press. “To put that in context, it is nearly double the problem rate of the second most prevalent problem, excessive fuel consumption.”
To address the issue, and keep customers in China happy, Ford is filing a patent to “bake” the smell out of the vehicles. This would entail parking the new vehicle in the sun, opening the windows, and turning on the engine, heater, and fan until the scent is “baked” away.
Don’t fear, Ford is only exploring this option right now. If they decide to pursue it in production, it would not likely be for all markets. Especially given how new car smell is so popular in the US and other markets.
“‘New car smell’ is ingrained in American culture,” said said Debbie Mielewski, senior technical leader in materials sustainability at Ford. “This patent is the result of years of research and is just one idea we are considering for future use.”
Don’t play with us like that, Ford. That new car smell spray at the car wash is simply not a substitute for the real thing. You’ll have to pry that new car smell out of our cold, dead nose!
Join the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums now!
