Everyone likes the new car smell. But what is it and why does it go away? Well it turns out it’s actually toxic fumes and it’s not good for you.

The new-car smell emanates largely from chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that leach from glues, paints, vinyls and plastics in the passenger compartment. The fumes can trigger headaches, sore throats, nausea and drowsiness. Prolonged exposure to some of the chemicals can lead to cancer, though there’s no evidence linking that to concentrations in cars.

Japanese auto manufacturers are looking to get rid of the smell once and for all. In fact they are already rolling out new cars with the lower VOC levels as a selling point. Lowing the VOC levels requires research into new adhesives and will not be cheap.

So now we are going to pay more for no “new car” smell?