Polestar: 'Vegan' doesn't mean 'sustainable' when it comes to interior design

Polestar has made clear that natural leather will remain part of its interior offerings, pushing back on the assumption that "vegan" cabin materials are automatically the greener choice. According to the brand, animal-free trims are not necessarily more sustainable, largely because many of them depend on fossil fuels during production.

That argument cuts against a trend that has swept the premium car market in recent years, where brands have rushed to advertise leather-free cabins as proof of environmental commitment. Polestar's position is that the story is more complicated, and that synthetic alternatives carry their own footprint rather than eliminating one. For shoppers, it is a reminder that a label on a spec sheet is not the same as a full accounting of where a material comes from or what happens to it at the end of a car's life.

In Saudi Arabia, Polestar sits among a growing group of premium electric nameplates competing with Tesla, the electric offerings from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, and newer entrants from Genesis and Lucid. Chinese premium EV brands are also gaining ground. Most of these rivals have leaned hard into animal-free interiors in their marketing, so Polestar's stance gives it a distinct point of difference in a crowded segment.

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