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Just as many of us are changing our eatings habits, manufacturers are increasingly offering leather-free and even vegan alternatives to the material in their new cars. 

Which marks a huge U-turn, given that leather was once the aspirational must-have option of upmarket interiors.

It's not a case of car-makers becoming PC or woke. It's what customers are demanding.

Hell for leather: Swedish electric-only car-maker Polestar customers don’t want animal interiors

Of course, you can still specify leather interiors. In premium and luxury cars, these are the blemish-free hides created from cows grazing on remote alpine hill-tops. 

The Rolls-Royce Ghost alone uses 20 such half-hides to create 338 interior leather panels.

But we may well be seeing the last of this brand of uncompromising indulgence. So here's how the top car companies are going green.

Vegan as standard

New kid on the block Polestar has been among the most radical adopters of leather-free interiors. 

The Swedish electric-only car-maker, a sibling of Volvo and similarly owned by Chinese motor giant Geely, recently launched its new all-electric Polestar 2 five-door five seater priced from £39,900, with the ambitious offering and promise of: 'Vegan as standard.' 

Polestar recently launched its new all-electric Polestar 2 five-door five seater priced from £39,900, with the ambitious offering of: 'Vegan as standard'

That's because the default setting for every car sold is a leather-free and animal-free interior.

You can still go for the leather option as a paid-for extra, but this must be specified.

Some 95 per cent of Polestar 2 cars ordered are the vegan man-made cloth versions, with only five per cent of customers — just one in every 20 — specifying leather. 

Vegan and leather-free options are expected to carry over to a forthcoming Polestar SUV and the sporty Precept grand tourer.

High fashion

Stella McCartney helped Audi launch its new electric Audi e-tron GT supercar. 

This was a natural pairing for the German car maker, because the fashion designer, her ex-Beatle father Paul and late mother Linda, have all been renowned for their eschewing of animal products.

Eco-style: The Audi e-tron GT has a leather-free vegan interior made from recycled plastic bottles

McCartney not only gave it her approval, but uses some of the recycled man-made materials in her own catwalk and boutique animal-free creations.

The Audi e-tron GT has a leather-free vegan interior made from recycled plastic bottles.

Audi design boss Marc Lichte admitted he'd been persuaded about vegan alternatives by his two daughters, who told him: 'I don't want to sit on a dead cow.'

Last month, Audi also highlighted how Stella McCartney's Falabella Go bag is made from Econyl (a material of recycled nylon fibres from production waste), which is also used in the carpet and floor mats of the Audi e-tron GT Quattro.

Four of the best cars which should be acceptable to vegetarian tastes 

Volvo C40 Recharge

The new all-electric C40 Recharge is the first model from the Swedish car-maker to be ‘completely leather-free’ and has a range of about 260 miles. 

Priced from £57,400, the electrified Volvo accelerates from rest to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, up to a top speed of 112 mph.

For those who have ethical concerns for the environment and animals, leather-free upholstery is currently also available in every other Volvo model — either as standard, as a no-cost alternative or a paid-for option.

Porsche Taycan

 

The electric Taycan sports car range is the first to offer an optional leather-free interior — made from recycled materials and ideal for vegans or customers with an ethical objection to animal products. 

Priced from £70,690 for the entry level rear-wheel drive Taycan up to £139,910 for the all-wheel Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo that accelerates from rest to 62mph on 2.9 seconds up to 155 mph.

Audi e-tron GT

The Stella McCartney approved Audi e-tron GT accelerates from a standing start to 62 mph in a startling supercar performance time of just 3.3 seconds and has a range of up to 296 miles. 

Prices range from £79,900 to nearly double that for the hottest RS version at £133,105.

Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover’s Evoque SUV starts from £32,115, with non-leather wool, and recycled plastic-based Kvadrat suedecloth as a £1,535 extra — this ethical option is also available on the larger Range Rover Velar. 

The flexitarians

Hyundai's new Tesla-rivalling Ioniq 5 electric SUV has many of its interior touchpoints — seats, headliner, door trim, floor and arm-rest — made from eco-friendly materials, such as recycled plastic bottles, plant-based wool yarns and bio-paint processed with plant extracts. 

The interior of Hyundai's ioniq 5 electric SUV is made from eco-friendly materials, such as recycled plastic bottles, plant-based wool yarns and bio-paint processed with plant extracts

Even the door trims are fashioned from recycled paper.

Any leather is processed and tanned with vegetable oils and plant-based extracts.

The Ioniq 5 can also be equipped with an eco-friendly solar roof, which puts electrical energy into the battery. Even the new Fiat 500 can be specified with a non- leather interior and a vegansteering wheel.

Ethical living

British Range Rover's mid-sized Velar 4x4 is also targeting 'ethical' motorists who shun animal leather but enjoy the finer things in life.

Launched at The Design Museum in London in 2017, Land Rover bosses said it was designed to cater for wealthy customers who have a conscience about animal welfare and the environment.

Wool blends are included, which may not be acceptable to vegans, but the move is a step in the right direction.

Land Rover's second-generation British-built Range Rover Evoque off-roader has a non-leather cloth option — including the 'suede-cloth' option made from 53 recycled plastic bottles per car

The seats combine a highly durable wool-blend fabric from Scandinavian textile experts Kvadrat with a man-made micro-fibre 'suede-cloth' material called Dinamica Auto which is made from recycled plastic.

Similarly, Land Rover's second-generation British-built Range Rover Evoque off-roader has a non-leather cloth option — including the 'suede-cloth' option made from 53 recycled plastic bottles per car. 

It was unveiled in November 2018 at a launch in London's Brick Lane as fashion and Vogue cover model Adwoa Aboah wore a dress made out of Kvadrat.

Each Evoque contains up to 33 kg of recycled or natural material including a new vegan-friendly regenerated textile produced from natural eucalyptus fibres.

Leather-free

Britain's MINI, meanwhile, is set to drop leather trim altogether, according to the firm's design boss Oliver Heilmer. 

He told Autocar magazine in February: 'We don't need leather any more . . . and we're totally convinced that we will have modern and high-value products without leather.'

Last year, 54 per cent of new Minis ordered in the UK featured real leather.

Heilmer added: 'The fabric in the production seats is now 100 per cent recycled. The lining underneath is 70 per cent recycled.'

Goodwood Festival comes roaring back 

All roads lead to Goodwood next week (July 8 to 11) as the Festival of Speed finally opens for a Covid-compliant motoring extravaganza.

It’s going ahead almost as normal as part of the Government’s Covid Events Research Programme pilot scheme to assess risk at public events.

The festival marks the unveiling of the new Genesis G70 Shooting Brake created for the UK market and the fifth model in the Korean firm’s line-up. The event will also see the European debut of the Genesis X.

The festival marks the unveiling of the new Genesis G70 Shooting Brake created for the UK market and the fifth model in the Korean firm’s line-up

Among the other highlights are:

• The new Lotus Emira sports car from the British firm providing the central display.
• Five Ferraris making their UK debuts — the Roma, Portofino M, 812 GTS, and hybrid SF90 Stradale and SF90 Spider.
• Kia’s new EV6 and Toyota’s GR 86.
• Polestar’s Precept grand tourer.

Among the features is ‘Electric Avenue — The Road To 2030’ — an interactive home for electric mobility. 

'It has been designed to help visitors explore the electric future, ask experts questions, inspect the latest electric vehicles and learn about the benefits and challenges associated with the switch.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said: ‘As we accelerate towards a zero-emission transport future, I’m delighted to see this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed showcasing some of the latest models of EVs.’

With many tickets rolled over from last year’s cancelled event, only a limited number of Thursday tickets are still available.

• Details at goodwood.com or on 01243 755055.

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