While faux leather has the potential to have buyers feeling short-changed, some drivers go out of their way to avoid driving cars trimmed with natural hides.
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Environmentally conscious customers may choose to avoid leather trim for a variety of reasons, ranging from religious beliefs to concerns surrounding animal cruelty.
Animal rights group PETA says leather products are sometimes the result of harsh factory farming for bovine skins that may then be treated with dangerous chemicals.
Luxury car makers use more leather than most, with prestige brands such as Bentley using the hides from 17 cows to trim its opulent Mulsanne sedan.
Some luxury brands offer leather-free textile or vinyl option packs to cater for people such as Spiderman star Tobey Maguire, who was said to have rejected the use of a Mercedes-Benz during filming of The Great Gatsby in Sydney because it had leather seats.
Hybrid or electric cars with green appeal are often available with replica leather trim, which is available in cars ranging from the Lexus CT200h hybrid hatch to Tesla's luxurious Model S sedan.
The Queen is another who prefers not to sit on leather.
Her one-off Bentley State Limousine has ''wool cloth'' rear pews, while those up front sport leather.
