Check the "leather seating" cars have now. It's not top grain leather any more, it's a cheaper suede-like material with a coat of plastic on the top to make it look like top grain. Very, very few cars have top grain leather available, and it is far more expensive than the usual "pleather" crap. The "pleather" does not breathe and is sticky in hot weather, but requires less maintenance.
--scott
more likely, cheaper chinese processing. tanning is a disgusting and health hazardous business - factors irrelevant to the cost equation in a country run by despots where you can't get a business license, loan or export license unless you're one of the
indeed. in fact, full synthetic leathers would be a better deal in that regard - long lasting, breathable, etc.
i never understood why anyone would want to sit on plastic coated crap that makes you sweat. apart from anything else, you slide, which if you want to drive anything other than straight line and use a brake, doesn't make any damned sense.
If you want high end leather seating, high end cars, such as Rolls Royce, Bentley, etc. cuhulin
But sadly not BMW or Mercedes, both of which have gone to the pleather crap for most models.
--scott
Persoanally I don't like leather, but my Father liked the slippery stuff. It made it easier to get in and out of the car/truck.
Does anyone remember the "woven vinyl" some manufacturers used it the 70's? It was a sort of relatively thick "plastic" thread woven into a form of cloth. We had it in a big old station wagon and it seem indestructable and breathed well too.
Ed
check out the custom covers at coverking.com i have a set of woven breathable mesh on a civic. great fit, apparently indestructible, and far superior to oem.
I remember the woven vinyl upholstery material in some vehicles I have owned before.In fact, I think that is what the seats in my 1978 Dodge van has.The drivers seat in that van developed a small rip, the rip kept getting larger.I bought a better vinyl seat at a junk yard.
Vinyl siding house commercial I used to see on TV.Vinyl is Final. cuhulin
I like it 'cause it's easier to keep clean than cloth but isn't as hot and slick as vinyl.
Ford used it well past the 70's; my '93 F150 has it. Still looks good... well, as good as it did when it was new.
nate
My '02 GTI had leather seats which seemed to be the real deal. However I've heard that for the newest models VW has really decontented them to get the base price down. Don't know if they still have teh nice interiors or not; new cars aren't relevant to me at this point in time.
nate
I dont like leather either, Ed. It cracks, the surface wears down, and it just looks ratty as the car ages, IMO.
Leather is suppose to be treated once in a while with some sort of treatment stuff that helps it to stay in good condition.I don't remember what it is called.Maybe some horse tackle stores that sell it? cuhulin
Oil it every six months and it won't crack. It'll wear, but it will look natural when it does so.
It's a maintenance headache, but frankly if you've got an MG, it's the least bothersome of them.
--scott
My MGB seats suffered rainwater damage whether the top was up or stowed.
eMobile is close.
the question is will it ever get exported anywhere once the manufacturer gets the initial 140,000 pre orders for domestic market handled. Concept is one thing, implementation and dealing with the fallout from field testing is quite another.
Things will sort themself out in a few years.
My Russki is kinda rusty but that looks like a hydrogen-fuel cell vehicle. The build looks cheap in a scary way. OTOH, I could dig a primitively honest car like a Meyers Manx. :-)
If I may?
Certainly - you may! It's refreshing to see a higher level of civility being implemented on this newsgroup. It's long overdue! Do you take milk with your tea? :-)
The Ruskies are famous for making rugged bullet-proof hardware. This looks to be the same - if having an actual frame on this car is any indication. Now that's what I call fresh thinking! OTOH, a natural gas piston/electric hybrid seems like a goofy idea for a cheap car. OTOH, I'm hoping this heralds the return of the two-tone paint job. :-)
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