Ford Is Working to Get Rid of That New Car Smell

If Ford follows through on a patent, that new car smell could be history.

First derived by Chinese consumer anti-sentiment to Ford's own new car smell, the invention, officially filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, consists of an air quality device that calculates a car's smell intensity based on temperature and location.

Based on its "heat hot spot," the device performs a read and automatically turns on the heater and rolls down the windows to "off-gas" the interior, releasing the smell caused by a mix of leather, plastic, vinyl, and glass cleaners. In essence, the car would overheat itself in a hot spot when not in use.

New car smells and the chemical compounds that comprise them have been proven to disrupt health, even causing headaches and dizziness in some instances. According to recent surveys, it is a bigger issue in Chinese markets.