Non-Leather Interiors Too Peasant-Like For Rolls-Royce

Following a trend set by Tesla, most electric vehicles are bucking cow leather in exchange for made-made materials. But the2024 Rolls-Royce Spectreisn't "most" EVs. Leather is a key element in any Rolls-Royce vehicle, and the brand isn't ready to throw that out of the window simply because the Spectre doesn't burn gasoline.

"It will come in due course," said Rolls-Royce Design Director Anders Warming when asked about leather alternatives. "We won't do it until it can feel like a Rolls-Royce." This philosophy guided the company when building the Spectre. Rolls-Royce dabbled withelectric concept cars more than a decade agobut waited until the battery technology reached a point where it would feel up to par with a traditional V12 engine.

For now, though, leather substitutes simply aren't luxurious enough, or, as we like to think of it, vegan leather is too peasant-like.

As for which materials Rolls-Royce will use to replace leather, that's still a mystery. We threw out some suggestions, like the cashmere interior in the new BMW 7 Series or thewool blend available from Volvo, but Warming seemed reticent about each of them. He even said, "we won't do cashmere because it's in the 7 Series. That might be fine for BMW, but not for Rolls-Royce."

Sorry to all the vegans out there, but it appears as though Rolls-Royce will continue to use leather for the foreseeable future. That means around eight bulls per car will lose their lives in the pursuit of luxury. On the plus side, the Spectre has some fabulous leather options.