Nissan reveals the person behind their ‘new car smell’



The ‘new car smell’ is just as important to most, as the new car itself and Nissan has shared how it goes to great lengths to make sure the smell is just right.

Introducing Peter, the Odour Evaluation Lead Engineer as he is called at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe. He has an acute sense of smell, and the sole responsibility of ensuring that the ‘new car smell’ in new Nissan vehicles deliver a ‘positive response’.

“We aim to provide the best sensory experience for the customer. While tastes and preferences evolve over time, smell remains a constant. Therefore, it is part of our job to make sure that any material we use is always going to be perfect in terms of scent and that all of the senses are harmonised,” said the man with a powerful nose.

Nissan stressed that the new car smell isn’t just a consequence of the manufacturing process but instead is the result of months of work devoted to carefully analysing materials and chemicals used such as the seat fabric and adhesives. This is done to ensure that the materials and adhesive do not generate an unpleasant odour in the new car.

This is where the nose of Nissan comes in testing materials such as those used for the diamond-quilted seats and how they change (smell wise) in different real-world conditions. If a material interferes with the new car smell, the nose and his team will identify alternative materials to protect that new car smell.


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