Is it leather reports from New York City: Visitors to New York’s famed Times Square were met with some interesting facts recently when billboard trucks delivered the news they were probably sitting on plastic!

As part of its push to pass automotive interior transparency laws within the state, NY advocacy groups launched an educational effort to alert people to the names being used by automotive manufacturers to describe fake plastic seats.

The billboards specifically called out Lexus “NuLuxe,” Cadillac “Inteluxe,” and BMW Group “SensaTec” as plastic leather imitations.

Consumer confusion and deceptive marketing are at the crux of the effort in a proposed bill in the State of New York to demand transparency on what material is used to make an automotive interior. Lawmakers are seeking a simple label of “Fabric, Leather, or Plastic” to allow consumers the clarity needed when making purchase decisions. The bill is sponsored in the New York Senate and Assembly and will likely see action in the 2025 session which started January 1.