Any - New cars with non-leather interiors | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

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Mon 4 Sep 2023 23:21

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - DavidGlos

Pretty much every new car launch review I read these days seems to make a big song and dance about how proud the manufacturer is to have no leather in the interior.

What on earth are we going to use all those cow hides for, if manufacturers are hell bent on not using leather?

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Mon 4 Sep 2023 23:56

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - focussed

But but but - 70% of UK drivers want to be able to buy a vegan car!

According to this totally unbiased survey carried out by the -

vegconomist.com/materials/70-of-uk-drivers-want-ve.../

The report says that “media displays often found on dashboards contain liquid crystals that may be based on cholesterol taken from animals; rubber and plastic used to make tyres and tubing may be vulcanised and toughened using tallow (sheep fat); paintwork may contain animal-derived pigment, plus, the steel used for a car‘s frame may have been lubricated with animal fat.”

Bearing in mind that there are 6.5% vegetarians and 2.5% vegan in the uk population.

www.finder.com/uk/uk-diet-trends

Something doesn't add up here does it?

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 06:42

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Dave N

’Vegan leather’ aka vinyl, is cheaper than leather, hence the enthusiasm from manufacturers.

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 07:05

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - RT

It's a nonsense debate - modern cars have so little animal-derived product in their "leather" to almost qualify as vegan - and judging by some of them, not as good quality as the vinyl in '90s cars.

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 09:00

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Adampr

It's an interesting question. I think there are a few factors:

1. Even people who aren't vegan or vegetarian are increasingly trying to be 'sustainable' and anything that appears that way is popular.

2. The demand for beef is moving from the west (sustainability again, particularly deforestation and emissions) to the east (the Chinese have developed an appetite for steak). That partly means the market for leather has moved geographically. It also means that the quality of leather is lower (it's partly a result of animal welfare - not a strong point in China).

So, it costs more and is becoming less desirable. As for what happens to the hides, they're not worth very much so they're probably getting burned. The cost of leather is in the tanning.

I have 'leather' (some leather, some vinyl) in my car. Mostly because it's easy to clean and I like light interiors.

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 09:00

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Terry W

Often leather seats are coated with plastics of one sort or another to improve wear, resist spilt liquids etc.

Far from being a luxury product, they largely represent a return to the much loved vinyl of 3+ decades ago (before velour). Personally I don't regard them as premium and prefer quality fabrics which don't crack and scuff over time.

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 10:54

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Andrew-T

Far from being a luxury product, they largely represent a return to the much loved vinyl of 3+ decades ago (before velour). Personally I don't regard them as premium and prefer quality fabrics which don't crack and scuff over time.

For me, the only seat material worse than leather is vinyl. Both can get unpleasantly hot on a sunny day and be unpleasantly cool in winter. The 1991 Pug 205 I got last Christmas is a middle-of-the-range model and still has its original fabric seats, undamaged.

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 15:05

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - madf

Leather : designed to burn your legs when your car is parked in sun. In RSA, the trick was: Open car: switch on engine, open windows, air con on full, wait 2 minutes before sitting down.

No leather for me...and it's cold in winter

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 18:58

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Engineer Andy

Yeah, plastic is sooooo environmentally-friendly, ain't it? Natural products mostly last longer, can be or are more easily repairable, work better under hot or cold conditions to allow the user not to be uncomfortable - if done right. Plus they are by their nature biodegradeable.

Edited by Engineer Andy on 05/09/2023 at 18:59

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 23:12

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Andrew-T

Natural products mostly last longer, can be or are more easily repairable, work better under hot or cold conditions to allow the user not to be uncomfortable - if done right. Plus they are by their nature biodegradeable.

I doubt that many modern cars have upholstery in cotton, wool or linen ? Drivers don't usually want their seats to biodegrade before the car goes to the crusher - as some probably would if exposed to heat, damp and sunlight for years.

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Wed 6 Sep 2023 12:04

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - Engineer Andy

Natural products mostly last longer, can be or are more easily repairable, work better under hot or cold conditions to allow the user not to be uncomfortable - if done right. Plus they are by their nature biodegradeable.

I doubt that many modern cars have upholstery in cotton, wool or linen ? Drivers don't usually want their seats to biodegrade before the car goes to the crusher - as some probably would if exposed to heat, damp and sunlight for years.

I was referring to real leather vs synthetic. I find that the 'real McCoy lasts longer on other well-used products, such as shoes, boots, trainers and golfing gloves. The man-made variants tend to disinitegrate once they've started to deteriorate.

I doubt if they biodegrae that quickly, unlike plastic type manmade ones, which take hundreds of years and more, if they do at all. It wouldn't be so bad if those products could easily be 'melted' back into an 'original' form to be reused, but that's nigh on impossible.

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 15:14

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - mickyh7

Good question.

I'll be amazed if they didn't just mush it up and add it to Pet Food as roughage.

My SIL, on a recent visit, arrived home with a bag of Pigs Ears and Throats for his small dog to chew on! Apparently they are very good for Dogs Teeth.

Nothing is wasted, ever!

Yak.

Edited by mickyh7 on 05/09/2023 at 15:15

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Tue 5 Sep 2023 15:42

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - RT

Good question.

I'll be amazed if they didn't just mush it up and add it to Pet Food as roughage.

My SIL, on a recent visit, arrived home with a bag of Pigs Ears and Throats for his small dog to chew on! Apparently they are very good for Dogs Teeth.

Nothing is wasted, ever!

Yak.

Don't eat Beef burgers then - 100% beef means just that, it all goes in!

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Wed 6 Sep 2023 12:16

Any - New cars with non-leather interiors - mcb100

‘ I doubt that many modern cars have upholstery in cotton, wool or linen ? Drivers don't usually want their seats to biodegrade before the car goes to the crusher - as some probably would if exposed to heat, damp and sunlight for years.’

A growing number of mainstream manufacturers are producing interiors (seat facings and carpets) from recycled PET from plastic bottles. It’s processed to a yarn which is then woven.
For exterior panels, we’ll see hemp being used to cut the plastic content.

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