(Source: Tesla)
By: Jessica Christensen
Teched-out,
balanced with a comfortable, handmade feel,
… and cruelty-free!
Those are the predictions given from Bentley’s design director, Stefan Sielaff, in a Q&A with Robb Report regarding the future of luxury cars.
The general shift in values is to blame for this prediction:
“Maybe you eat everything organic, sustainable, vegan, animal-free—and yet we’re using 15 hides of leather for our cars. This is obviously the extreme, and things change bit by bit, but some people will want a car that better aligns with their belief system.”
2017 saw Tesla changing all of their seat options to vegan, making them the top choice for vegan wheels.
Not to be upstaged, Bentley announced in late 2017 that they would also be introducing a completely vegan interior option.
Other big luxury names offering cruelty-free options include the Mercedes Benz C-class models and the BMW i3. Hopefully this will be setting a precedent for all other luxury car manufacturers to follow suite.
Eating a plant-based diet and advocating for the well-being of all living creatures to then get behind the wheel of a vehicle with leather interior is an unfortunate daily reminder for a lot of the vegan population that animal-cruelty is rampant in all areas of life.
Since many standard parts of vehicles are often leather or animal-derived, such as the dashboard and gear shifter down to the tires and glue, finding a completely vegan vehicle is a daunting, if not impossible, task for the average consumer.
(Source: Toyota.com)
The most affordable, environmental-friendly, and cruelty-free option is arguably the Toyota Prius. The Prius uses cloth seats and SofTex for the interior – a synthetic fabric that is more breathable than animal-based leather.
Luckily, Plant-based News’ 2018 guide to buying a vegan-friendly car takes away some of the frustration. As with replacing all animal products with cruelty-free options, knowledge is half the battle. Luxury vehicles eventually being free from leather interiors could mean more affordable vegan options available to the rest of consumers soon.
