After spending a cool ₹4,897,000 on a Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, a sleek slice of the electric future, you might expect to plug it in and catch the familiar whiff of gasoline. But, according to Ford, you’ll need to substitute that scent with a “premium fragrance” inspired by gasoline, aptly named “Mach-Eau.”
Mach-Eau was born from a Ford Europe survey revealing that 1 in 5 drivers would miss the smell of petrol when transitioning to electric cars. To cater to this olfactory nostalgia and boost the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, Ford found a way to address the void. However, according to reports, the fragrance isn’t available for purchase, though Ford has provided a vivid description for those who missed its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a few years ago.
Created in collaboration with fragrance partner Olfiction, Mach-Eau is designed to evoke the scent of gasoline while incorporating additional layers. The fragrance includes notes of almondy benzaldehyde, often associated with car interiors, and para-Cresol, which mimics the rubbery smell of tires. These base notes are enhanced with blue ginger, lavender, geranium, and sandalwood, adding smoky, metallic, and rubbery elements. An “animal element” is also included to give the scent a subtle nod to the Mustang’s equine heritage.
The introduction of Mach-Eau came as part of Ford’s efforts to help ease the transition for drivers moving to electric vehicles. According to a Ford survey, nearly 70% of drivers said they’d miss the smell of petrol when switching to an EV, with 1 in 5 specifically citing it as the scent they’d miss most. In fact, the smell of petrol even ranked higher than wine and cheese in terms of what people would miss most when swapping to an electric car.
Ford hopes the Mach-Eau fragrance will spark greater interest in electric vehicles and help dispel myths about EVs, convincing traditional car enthusiasts of their potential. While Ford has developed the fragrance, it has yet to make it available to the public.
