MUNICH: Like a dog looking for ways to mark its territory, German car manufacturer BMW appears to be looking into spreading its own distinct brand of scent with its cars.
An application filed with the German Patent Office here outlines a system for scenting the exterior of a vehicle by emitting a fragrance from BMW's blue and white roundel emblem on the bonnet.
The patent application, reported on by the US-based website CarBuzz, follows a previous BMW announcement that it wants to improve the olfactory perception of cars, which until now has often consisted of exhaust fumes and musty odours from air-conditioning components.
Companies like Ford have come up with patents designed to get rid of unwanted interior car smells, but BMW is one of the first to go for exterior perfume. A similar patent was filed by Toyota in 2019, but nothing appears to have come of it.
Naturally a patent application does not necessarily mean the idea will become a reality, and many manufacturers routinely apply to patent technologies to beat competitors to introducing new devices.
Releasing the fragrance in the BMW system from the patent application in January can be programmed "with various greeting or farewell scenarios," reports CarBuzz.
This could mean the keyless entry system will detect when an owner is approaching, and the BMW badge will turn and face them, emitting the right fragrance.
