first vegan electric car by mercedes-benz uses leather replica without animal fibers

"Mercedes-Benz releases the first electric car with vegan interiors that use leather replicas without animal products or fibers. Brought to CES 2026 in Las Vegas, which runs between January 6th and 9th, the car manufacturer's GLC model is dubbed the first vehicle with vegan fittings in the cabin. At the center of this design is a material called ARTICO, which looks and feels like leather, but it is made without animal products."

"The textiles used in seats, door trim, pillars, headliners, and other interior areas are fabric materials made without animal fibers, while the microfiber fleece is a synthetic fiber material, which replaces animal-based suede or leather and is used for soft interior surfaces. The textile-based floor and boot carpets are made without wool or other animal-derived fibers and mixed with recycled content."

"For the vegan interiors inside the GLC electric car, Mercedes-Benz worked with The Vegan Society, a globally recognized independent organization. The group tested and audited all the soft-touch materials used in the interiors of the vehicle, including checking the final materials and how they were made. The result is certification under the well-known Vegan Trademark, which is set to appear in the car manufacturer's vehicle configurator when customers select the Vegan Package for the new GLC."

Mercedes-Benz introduced a GLC electric car with fully vegan cabin fittings, unveiled at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Seat upholstery, steering wheel covers, and soft-touch surfaces use ARTICO, a leather-like material made without animal products. Seats, door trim, pillars, headliners, and carpets use certified vegan textiles and microfiber fleece as synthetic substitutes for suede and wool, with floor and boot carpets incorporating recycled content. Some interior components use synthetic polymers instead of animal-based binders, coatings, or additives. No animal-based glues, dyes, coatings, or processing agents are used in production. The interiors earned Vegan Trademark certification and will be offered as a Vegan Package in the configurator.

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