What’s next: Bamboo, protein leather and mushroom leather, jellyfish material…
Bentley is making efforts to make cars more environmentally-friendly. This does not mean hybrid powertrains. However, PHEVs will be part of the brand’s future plans. But, they will use different materials to replace the traditional ones.
At the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit Stefan Sielaff, Bentley’s Director of design, said that the marque is looking into vegan-friendly options in upholstery and trims.
AutoExpress quotes Sielaff as saying, “You cannot sell an animal-containing product such as a Bentley with 20 leather hides to someone who lives a vegan lifestyle.” We’ve been speaking to these customers in California and they are asking us what we can do for them. In collaboration with Mulliner, we do a lot custom-made and coach built solutions. We want to please these customers, as they are at the top of a trend.”
We will soon present a Bentley with vegan interior. It’ll provide luxury but in a new way: protein leather, mushroom leather and jellyfish material. This is something that the design, color and trim guys are examining.”
Ford has another interesting idea about interior materials. Because bamboo’s strength is greater than concrete, brick, and wood, the company is considering using it in combination with plastic for interior surfaces. Bamboo is a natural product that is easy to grow and can be harvested in as little as two to five years.
Morrissey , ex-front man of The Smiths and animal rights activist, wrote an open letter to Marry Bara, General Motors CEO to request that the company offer vegan interior materials for their Chevrolet Bolt and Volt. He said that the cars were being sold to eco-conscious buyers and that vegan interior options would only increase their appeal.