18 February 2021
6 Mins read

Mini To Stop Providing Leather Interiors

Design Boss Oliver Heilmer has recently stated that new cars from Mini will no longer come with an option for leather interiors as they look to the future generations of their cars. This change comes from one of their focuses for their new models being re

Design Boss Oliver Heilmer has recently stated that new cars from Mini will no longer come with an option for leather interiors as they look to the future generations of their cars. This change comes from one of their focuses for their new models being responsibility.

Data shows that last year 54% of Minis came with leather interiors, so this change will make a huge difference when it comes to sustainability, as this will no longer be available in any of their cars in the near future.

“We don’t need leather any more in the future, because we don’t believe it’s sustainable,” Heilmer said. “We’re totally convinced that we will have modern and high-value products without leather.”

But this move away from leather isn’t the only aspect of sustainability that Mini is working on. The fabric in their seats is now manufactured using 100% recycled materials, with the lining underneath being 70% recycled. With Heilmer stating that their intention is to use recycled materials to create timeless designs instead of following one season fashion designs.

Despite this move over to recycled materials in a bid to increase the sustainability of Mini manufacturing, they still intend to keep their heritage in mind. Not only this they will continue to aim for luxurious interiors with inventive functionality. They also intend to take inspiration from home designs instead of focusing on automotive design. If they can achieve this they will not only make great strides in sustainability, but also overall interior design as well.

Heilmer also went on to say that he believes that a Mini “should be fun as well” and that their focus shouldn’t purely be on driving performance, with an emphasis on ease of use and ease of driving that will create car designs that will last. Although that’s not to say that driving performance won’t still be high on the agenda as the John Cooper Works models of Minis will still form a part of the range.

Driving Sustainability Forwards

This is a huge step forward when it comes to automotive sustainability and we only expect to see this increase as the years go by. We anticipate that many manufacturers will follow suit and make use of more recycled and sustainable materials, not only when it comes to interiors, but with other materials used in the manufacturing of cars. We know that batteries are also high on the agenda for car manufacturers as new technologies are being worked on to improve the sustainability of electric vehicle batteries as well.

Sustainability is definitely something that all car manufacturers are going to need to keep in mind as they develop new models for their ranges, especially when it comes to electric vehicles in light of the 2030 deadline to move away from petrol and diesel cars. So whilst developments such as these from Mini are good to see, we still think there is a long way for the industry to go to make cars as sustainable as possible.