Automobiles | From Tesla, a New Car Smell That Vegans Can Get Behind

Leilani Münter, a professional racecar driver, environmental advocate and vegan,
with her vegan Tesla in Huntersville, N.C

   For the eco-conscious car buyer, Tesla’s luxury electric vehicles, with their neck-snapping acceleration, are proof that performance doesn’t have to be sacrificed at the altar of saving the environment.

But for some discerning consumers, there is a nagging problem. The leather in the seats and steering wheel requires slaughtering animals, and the cloth substitute doesn’t quite measure up for a vehicle that can cost more than $100,000.

Now, in response, comes the Tesla that even a luxury-minded vegan could love.

Synthetic leather, in a shade Tesla calls Ultra White, is available as an option for the new Model X sport utility vehicle.

Tesla is just the latest automaker to join in what even Euell Gibbons, the naturalist of Grape-Nuts fame, would have had a hard time imagining a generation ago: a rush by the car industry — long a symbol of environmental wreckage — to project a more responsible image.

“All the car companies want sustainability cred,” said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book.

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