Bentley Designer Predicts Animal-Free Future for Cars

During a recent interview with media outlet Robb Report, Stefan Sielaff, design director for luxury-vehicle brand Bentley, expressed that the use of animal hides for car interiors is going out of style. “Maybe you eat everything organic, sustainable, vegan, animal-free—and yet we’re using 15 hides of leather for our cars,” Sielaff said. “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.” Bentley announced its intent to develop a vegan-interior option in 2016 and has since researched the use of mushroom-based leather. Several automotive brands—such as Tesla, Ferrari, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz—currently offer a non-leather option to meet customer demand for cruelty-free cars.