[masraum]

I'm sure that some amount of time and energy has been spent on the smell of a new car for just about every manufacturer.

If it was outgassing, then they'd smell like crap. I've bought enough cheap, plastic/vinyl/rubber/sythetic crap over the years to know that it smell horrible.

I suspect that all manufacturers spend some amount of money on smell, just like they all spend money on sound, from the sound of the HVAC fan, to the sound of the glove-box being closed, every aspect of a car is worked to try to separate people from their money, and a car that smelled like new rubber, vinyl and plastic wouldn't sell for sheisse.