Ford Is Inventing Technology to Eliminate "New Car Smell"

Apparently, customers in China think “new car smell” has gotten old.

So much so that one of every ten new car buyers in the People’s Republic want the new smell removed from their car upon purchase.

In fact, a global automotive director at J.D. Power said unpleasant interior smell issues are a bigger problem in China than excessive fuel consumption.

That being the case, Ford has started investing in new technology to eliminate that odor so that customers in China, one of the automaker’s key markets, will be more likely to buy a Ford.

The Detroit-based marque recently filed a patent application for an odor-removal process that eliminates the smell by instituting a high-temperature “baking” of a car’s interior.

The patent involves parking the car in the sun, opening the windows, and turning the heater fan on until the odor disappears.

“While new-car smell is ingrained in American culture, we know Chinese customers dislike that scent,” Debbie Mielewski, senior technical leader in materials sustainability at Ford, told The Detroit Free Press. “This patent is the result of years of research and is just one idea we are considering for future use.”