NEWS

Smokeless Cars: The Trend of the Future?

Nicole Gottlieb

Ashtrays and cigarette lighters have come to be almost as standard in cars as steering wheels and gasoline tanks — until recently.Go



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What long have been standard car features are now considered extras in many automobile models, and some manufacturers expect the number of "smokeless" cars to continue to grow. Car companies point to three reasons for this change: pressure from advocacy groups to have smoke-free environments; the increasing number of buyers who don't smoke themselves and, in fact, disapprove of smoking; and the desire for extra storage space in cars.

All models of Chrysler and Dodge minivans, for example, have included extra storage space instead of ashtrays since 1996. And what used to be labeled as a lighter is now called a power outlet, to be used for mobile phones or other electrical devices. If drivers want the ashtrays and lighter installed in the car, they can purchase the "Smoker's Group" option for an additional $15 to $20. According to many Chrysler dealerships, only about 1% of buyers purchase the smoking apparatus.

This lack of standard smoking features is not specific to the family minivan. Many car manufacturers who cater more to professional types than to families have made the same change in recent years.

When the Infiniti G20 was first manufactured in 1991, the standard model came with lighter and ashtray. In 1999, a redesigned G20 was revealed, this time with lighter and ashtray not included, but purchasable from the factory for, again, an additional $15 to $20.

Only One

Why is the G20 the only Infiniti model so far to come without standard smoking features? Infiniti manufacturers state that the G20 is the most recently redesigned car model, and that as other models are redesigned, they too might go the smokeless route. But while the Infiniti I30 will be the next new model to hit the showroom, propriety secrets cloud its upcoming design and features.

General Motors' Cadillac also has only one model that is smokeless, the Seville. "The decision to have the ashtray kit as an option was made so that we could offer more storage space," said a representative of the Cadillac Motor Car Division. "Research [that] Cadillac conducted indicated that only 20% of our owners smoke."

The list of smokeless cars continues. Saturn has newly redesigned all but one of its year 2000 models to make smoking features extra. And due to the results of focus groups and many requests for extra storage space, the Acura TL, which now accounts for about half of Acura's sales, is Acura's first model that does not come standard with lighter and ashtray.

According to one Acura client services representative, the reason has little to do with who buys the cars, and more to do with the fact that it is Acura's newest model. "[But] we see Acura going in that direction," he said.

Acura's future direction, however, seems debatable. Another Acura client services representative, Dave Potter, was quick to point out that the non-smoking model is not necessarily a mainstay. Potter said the change did lead to some customer concern — and a rush on the part of Infiniti to design the extra smoking package at a cost of $100 — considerably more than the $15 quoted by other manufacturers.

Potter stated that this push to design a smoking package demonstrates that there remains a strong desire on the part of some customers to have smoking features in their cars. He does not agree that the TL is necessarily a sign of the future — at least not the immediate future.

No Complaints

Tobacco companies such as Phillip Morris might hope that Potter is right. Thus far, car manufacturers that have made the shift to smokeless cars have reported no complaints from cigarette makers, and Phillip Morris declined comment for this article. It is possible, though, that the tobacco industry is not affected by the trend.

As Saturn salesperson Melissa Rene pointed out: "Smokers don't really need an ashtray or lighter in their car. Most smokers have their own lighter — and just flick their ashes out the window."

While car companies such as Cadillac, Chrysler, Saturn, Infiniti, and Acura test the smokeless car now, various other car manufacturers are waiting until the smoke clears. Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls Royce, to name a few, still design all of their models with lighter and ashtray standard intact, and have indicated no plans to change any time soon.



             
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