# Leather-free Mercedes Benz



## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

BERLIN (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz has agreed to offer "leather-free" versions of all its luxury cars to pacify an animal rights group that says thousands of cows are slaughtered each year for leather car seats and interiors.

After complaints from the German chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, DaimlerChrysler said its Mercedes subsidiary will offer fabric or synthetic leather as options.

Daimler spokeswoman Ursula Mertzig-Stein said that far from wanting leather-free cars, "our customers ... are more likely to want even more leather at the premium end. But we'll make cars without leather on demand."

PETA officials, who had threatened protests at the carmaker's Stuttgart headquarters, said they were delighted.

"When you consider that the skins of four to 15 cows are needed for each car this means thousands of cows will be spared," said PETA researcher Edmund Haferbeck. "This is a huge victory for animal rights."


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## ljh824 (Jul 14, 2004)

Are you kidding me? PETA needs to be stopped.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

The worst part is that they make me feel bad any time time I look at a car without leather. It's like giving in to the terrorists.


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## Plaz (Dec 19, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> "When you consider that the skins of four to 15 cows are needed for each car this means thousands of cows will be spared," said PETA researcher Edmund Haferbeck. "This is a huge victory for animal rights."


Doubtful. Just some hamburger cows' skins will be sold to someone else or discarded.


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

Alex Baumann said:


> "When you consider that the skins of four to 15 cows are needed for each car this means thousands of cows will be spared," said PETA researcher Edmund Haferbeck. "This is a huge victory for animal rights."


 What idiotic logic.  Are they assuming that the carcasses from those cows are just discarded after the skin is removed because the beef and beef by-products are not marketable? :dunno::thumbdwn:


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

Sorry to break this to you Mr. PETA noone "spares" a cow... there is no "spared" cow ranch. 
Not unless Mr. PETA cares to pasture the "spared" cows in his backyard.


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## ChrisTO (Jan 24, 2002)

i'd like to see what type of dress shoes these PETA folks wear. my guess some are wearing leather shoes.


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## gojira-san (Mar 1, 2004)

ChrisTO said:


> i'd like to see what type of dress shoes these PETA folks wear. my guess some are wearing leather shoes.


Probably those nasty plastic shoes that make your feet sweat... 

My cynical side says that this is more of a marketing thing to make them look more "green"


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## ljh824 (Jul 14, 2004)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> The worst part is that they make me feel bad any time time I look at a car without leather.  It's like giving in to the terrorists.


Yes Nick I agree. If we look at or buy cars without leather, then the terrorists have won. DOWN WITH FABRIC SEATS!!!!

Actually, I have black leatherette. Dammit!


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## cwsqbm (Aug 4, 2004)

ljh824 said:


> Yes Nick I agree. If we look at or buy cars without leather, then the terrorists have won. DOWN WITH FABRIC SEATS!!!!
> 
> Actually, I have black leatherette. Dammit!


You PETA-supporter. Go out and buy a fur coat as pennace.


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## ljh824 (Jul 14, 2004)

cwsqbm said:


> You PETA-supporter. Go out and buy a fur coat as pennace.


 :rofl: :rofl:

Hey, I can compensate. All my work shoes are leather, I love hamburgers, and in my lifetime, I've probably eaten a whole damn pig. Everything from the rooter to the tooter!!


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## hockeynut (Apr 14, 2002)

This sucks - I am not a huge fan of leather just because of our 100 degree summers. But, I am even less of a fan of PETA and their tactics. So, I guess I will stick with leather just to spite 'em


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## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

gojira-san said:


> My cynical side says that this is more of a marketing thing to make them look more "green"


:stupid: MB wouldn't be doing it if they were going to lose money on the deal. And some of us actually went to the trouble of special ordering 'ette for our so-called luxury cars :eeps:


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## hockeynut (Apr 14, 2002)

ljh824 said:


> Yes Nick I agree. If we look at or buy cars without leather, then the terrorists have won. DOWN WITH FABRIC SEATS!!!!
> 
> Actually, I have black leatherette. Dammit!


The MBs I have rented in Germany all had fabric and I loved it. In fact, if I could have gotten my 330cic with fabric I would have done it.

But it has nothing to do with PETA. It is purely my personal preference.


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## mng (Oct 15, 2003)

the leather used in most cars is so corrected/treated etc, it's not worth it anyway...doesn't even feel like leather anymore. the leather in my mom's 330 feels as rough as the leatherette in her old A4. don't even mention the "leather" in my friend's Navigator - resembles plastic more than anything else. a waste, if you ask me.

if OEMs used a full-grain leather (ie, M-Nappa, which is nice) that actually felt like leather and did what leather is supposed to do (ie, wear), then i'd argue it's worth the cost as an option in cars. otherwise, i'd rather have leatherette. So i applaud MB for giving people the choice. we couldn't find a 330 in houston with leatherette


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

mng said:


> the leather used in most cars is so corrected/treated etc, it's not worth it anyway...doesn't even feel like leather anymore. the leather in my mom's 330 feels as rough as the leatherette in her old A4. don't even mention the "leather" in my friend's Navigator - resembles plastic more than anything else. a waste, if you ask me.
> 
> if OEMs used a full-grain leather (ie, M-Nappa, which is nice) that actually felt like leather and did what leather is supposed to do (ie, wear), then i'd argue it's worth the cost as an option in cars. otherwise, i'd rather have leatherette. So i applaud MB for giving people the choice. we couldn't find a 330 in houston with leatherette


I agree. What is the point of leather in a vehicle outside the full-grain quality leather?

I know the answer to my own question, buyers have been conditioned by branding to make leather a requirement in their luxery cars no matter how cheap the leather is. Most leather in the low-mid luxery cars resembles plastic more than it does leather.


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

maybe the meat market will soon offer synthetic beef products too  

and horror of horrors, please don't torture your grass by slicing it's head off with a lawn mower :tsk:


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## Jamman (Dec 23, 2002)

ChrisTO said:


> i'd like to see what type of dress shoes these PETA folks wear. my guess some are wearing leather shoes.


 Clear Heels!


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## BlackChrome (Nov 16, 2003)

Pretty soon all the luxury cars will offer fake wood trim! :tsk:


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## SONET (Mar 1, 2002)

Plaz said:


> Doubtful. Just some hamburger cows' skins will be sold to someone else or discarded.


This is exactly true. I have family 'in the business' and it's amazing how they really do utilize _every part_ of the animal. If you slaughter it for food (and this will continue), you may as well use the rest of it for other things. That's more of an 'environmentaly friendly' approach than PETA is taking. I'm sure they would see this if they would start thinking and stop being so reactionary.

--SONET


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## mng (Oct 15, 2003)

BlackChrome said:


> Pretty soon all the luxury cars will offer fake wood trim! :tsk:


again, it might as well be.

Range Rovers and Aston Martins notwithstanding...the crap they put in BMW is shined and laquered to death. i honestly couldn't tell you if it's real, except it says so on the options sticker.

RR:










This is a repost, but here's an article w/ Fisker dropping some knowledge


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## TXE39 (Oct 2, 2003)

mng said:


> again, it might as well be.
> 
> Range Rovers and Aston Martins notwithstanding...the crap they put in BMW is shined and laquered to death. i honestly couldn't tell you if it's real, except it says so on the options sticker.


Range Rovers do have nice wood in them. Mine has French Walnut (dull finish) crafted for Land Rover by the Holland & Holland gun maker,


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