Clotaire Rapaille, the founder of Archetype Discoveries Worldwide, a consumer research firm in Boca Raton, Florida, that advises both the Big Three and the scent industry, said smell would not be the first impression a potential car buyer would have, but it could be a dealbreaker nonetheless. He likened it to finding out that a beautiful date had bad breath.
"I'm not going to buy a car because of the smell only, I'll buy it because of the look, the identity and the message," he said. "But then I'll get in the car, and smell can be a turnoff."
Considering that the rise of Nuance has roughly coincided with the resuscitation of the Cadillac brand -- no SUV has more street credibility than the Cadillac Escalade -- there is a question here. Most analysts credit the brand's distinctive new designs, which feature hard edges and bold grills and a super-sized version of the old Cadillac wreath and crest emblem.
Then again, what if it was the smell?
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