AC

When it comes to creating quieter cars, automakers are giving a whole new meaning to the sounds of silence. More of them are using technology to mask bad sounds and enhance good ones. Engineers say manipulating sounds in a car adds to perception of quality and harmony. "Our aim isn't to trick the customer," says Chuck Gray, chief powertrain engineer on Ford's electric vehicles. "It's to give them the best experience." When it comes to eliminating unwelcome sounds, the new technology works like noise-canceling headphones. A few automakers have used the strategy in luxury cars, and it's now starting to filter down into mainstream models. "Active noise cancellation works to get rid of noises that customers don't want to hear," says Honda spokesman Chris Martin. The new 2013 Honda Accord, where the goal is to make the cabin as quiet as possible, employs microphones pick up engine, wind or road noise. A computer then produces almost indistinguishable sounds, projected back into the...