From a post at TUAW, I ended at Wikipedia and learned that that new car smell can kill.

Both the smell and what produces it vary somewhat in different kinds of automobiles. It is believed to come from volatile organic compounds that enter the air of the car, and possibly also from phthalates, plastic-softening chemicals that leach out over time.

The article references a Daily Telegraph story that compares breathing this stuff to sniffing glue.

I believe I feel a local TV news expose' coming on.