While Western drivers like the "new car" smell fresh off the production line, Chinese would rather their cars didn't smell of anything - a cultural divide that's testing carmakers seeking an edge to revive sales in the world's biggest auto market.
At Ford Motor Co, for example, 18 smell assessors - dubbed "golden noses" - at its research plant outside the eastern city of Nanjing test the smell of each material that goes inside a Ford car to be sold in China and around Asia.
The China smell test isn't unique, but illustrates the lengths to which carmakers will go to attract buyers in markets where consumer attitudes vary widely.
"In North America, people want a new car smell and will even buy a 'new car' spray to make older cars feel new and fresh. In China it's the opposite," said Andy Pan, supervisor for material engineering at the Ford facility, which employs around 2,300 people.
The smell of a new car in China can have an outsized effect. A JD Power report last year showed that unpleasant car smells were the top concern for Chinese drivers, ahead of engine issues, road noise or fuel consumption.
The smell assessors at Ford, whose China sales are down 7 per cent this year, carry out 300 tests a year, a third more than their counterparts in Europe. They rate the odour of all materials used in a car from "not perceptible" to "extremely disturbing".
Pungent materials - from carpets to seat covers and steering wheels - are noted as smelling of anything from "burnt tyre" and "bad meat" to "mothballs" or "dirty socks". Some are sent back to the supplier.
For Ford's "golden noses" that means a strict routine. Testers undergo a tough selection process, proving themselves on blind smell tests before being chosen.
"We have to have very healthy habits; we can't smoke, we can't drink," says one of the team, 33-year-old Amy Han, adding she avoids spicy food and doesn't wear nail polish, strong perfume or even a leather jacket to keep her sense of smell sharp.
While Western drivers like the "new car" smell fresh off the production line, Chinese would rather their cars didn't smell of anything - a cultural divide that's testing carmakers seeking an edge to revive sales in the world's biggest auto market.
