You probably thought a new car smelled like a new car because it was a new car, right? Maybe not. It might be Annabelle.
There seems to be no detail too small for BMW to address, especially on its newly revealed flagship 7 Series, which will be available for sale this fall. Performance, comfort, safety, convenience, lighting, information, entertainment—the list of attributes to which BMW pays attention is impressive. But there is one aspect of the car that we never really thought much about—but BMW has: the smell.
Call them professional scent makers, smell experts, or odor engineers, BMW has for years employed people who have worked to keep “inherent smells to a minimum,” whatever that means. However, in the new BMW 7 Series, they have taken smell engineering one step further by giving the car the ability to distribute up to eight different scents throughout the passenger compartment. BMW calls it the Ambient Air package.
In this BMW Stories video, we hear from Annabelle Coffinet who has been working in the BMW design department for three years. She explains their approach to BMW’s version of aroma therapy in the new 7.
We always liked the new car smell and would be disappointed if it disappeared. On the other hand, perhaps when the new 7 starts hitting the used car market in a few years, having the ability to control the smell of the cabin might be a good thing. Especially if someone made BMW Ambient Air refills that smelled like barbeque. At least there’s finally an alternative—albeit an expensive one—to the green pine-tree air freshener.
So here is Annabelle’s story. Enjoy the video.—Scott Blazey
[Photo and video courtesy of BMW AG.]
