A: We’re essentially sniffing glue. The new car smell emanates from 40 volatile organic compounds—"primarily alkanes and substituted benzenes along with a few aldehydes and ketones," says Steve Ritter in Chemical & Engineering News.

Slide into a new car. You see plastics, fabric, and upholstery—held together with adhesives and impregnated with sealants that outgas into the car. You smell solvents, adhesives, gasoline, lubricants, and vinyl.

Perhaps you also smell the "treated leather" odor of shoe stores. Tanned leather smells slightly rank so tanneries add an artificial "treated leather" fragrance. Some automakers spray this in their cars.

These days, you may not smell much. In December 2001, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) reported on a two-year study of the volatile organic compounds released by new cars. They found threats to health— especially in the first six months after car purchase— especially on a warm day— with the windows closed (and air conditioning off). As a result, automakers now try to eliminate such substances.

But, not to worry, most car trips in the U.S. are less than five miles—short for much threat, especially if you open the window.

Further Surfing:

Chemical & Engineering News: New car smell

Sisweb: Volatile compounds found in a 1995 new Lincoln Continental