BMW is working to eliminate the chemical odors associated with new cars, using a team of trained evaluators to test how interior materials smell under different conditions. The automaker’s process focuses on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by synthetic materials throughout a newly delivered vehicle.
How BMW’s New Car Smell Test Works
BMW’s specialized “nose team” works with laboratory experts to evaluate the odors produced by materials used inside its vehicles. The company has operated odor-testing laboratories in Munich since 1999 and in Shenyang, China, since 2014.
Materials are placed in heated chambers designed to replicate the conditions inside a hot vehicle cabin. Researchers analyze the air for chemical compounds, while trained evaluators compare the resulting odors against established reference standards.
The testing process involves three stages. First, individual materials are evaluated. Next, larger components, including seats and headliners, undergo testing. Finally, the entire vehicle is assessed to determine how different materials interact and affect cabin odors, particularly as temperatures rise.
Nils Hesse, BMW’s vice president of product sustainability, summarized the company’s approach: “A car doesn’t exist in a lab, but with its occupants.”
How Heat Affects New Car Smell
Temperature plays a significant role in the release of chemicals inside a vehicle. According to the theory described in the report, summer sunlight increases cabin emissions, while parking outdoors overnight during winter can reduce them.
BMW says newer microfiber materials help reduce emissions while avoiding animal-derived proteins that can contribute to odors as natural leather ages.
The Neue Klasse iX3 also features a multi-stage Nano Filter designed to provide cleaner cabin air.
For drivers dealing with lingering odors in their vehicles, the usual recommendations include opening the windows to ventilate the cabin and parking in the shade.
With a new car, the compounds are said to fade by roughly 20 percent a week, allowing the characteristic smell to gradually diminish over the first few months.
Are New Car Smell Chemicals a Health Concern?
Some compounds found in vehicle interiors, including benzene and formaldehyde, are classified as human carcinogens. However, typical concentrations inside vehicle cabins are not considered a serious hazard.
The United States has no federal regulations specifically governing in-car air quality, while China requires chemical testing before vehicles can be sold.
BMW’s Push for Cleaner Cabin Air
BMW’s approach combines material testing, odor evaluation and cabin filtration to reduce unwanted smells and emissions inside its vehicles.
The automaker’s message to new-car buyers is that a cabin with little or no noticeable odor reflects an interior designed to meet its air-quality standards.
