Primarily from lower wages, although that is changing somewhat now. That allows the company to use quality materials. This analysis sums it up better than I can relate in one brief post.

http://www.jspe.gr.jp/files/36kim-p.pdf

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for workers getting good wages and benefits....and a decent retirement. But, in extreme cases, that can hamper the productivity and financial stability of an automaker. That is one reason why GM went bankrupt, and why Audi pulled some of its auto production out of high-cost Germany and its astronomically high personnel/labor costs.

 

 

No--you can't debate what "trim" means. This is a marketing term. Any automaker that offered full leather trim would say it clearly and unambiguously--especially Kia.

What I meant by leatherette being good is that to the touch, the seat backs and sides still feel like leather even though they are not.

 

Well, that was my point. If the actual cowhide is only on the seating surfaces, it usually states it. Then you have the question of whether it is only the seats or also other surfaces, such as the dash and doors. Unless it is a darn good fake, the Stinger, to me, felt like it had leather on both seats and door-panels....which would be unusual at the 35-40K price a Stinger Premium runs.

On the Stinger, sure felt like it to me...and the specs seemed to support that. It's apparently real leather on the (thread-topic) Avenir, too, although the OP may not have noticed it at the time.

 

Low wages will also affect productivity. If it did not, we would still be living with slavery.

 

It DOES state it. Kia says "Leather Seat Trim". That's marketing for "Not full leather." Because if they put in their marketing materials "We only use partial leather on the actual seating areas", it would not be as well received. Every word in the brochures and websites are carefully vetted for this exact reason, whether it's the Stinger, the Lacrosse, or any other car.

There's not a snoball's chance that Kia is using full leather and not announcing it to the world.

 

Sorry, but we’ve asked several times to try and keep this rambling thread on topic. Closing this and ask that members use existing individual threads on the random topics being discussed to discuss or start new ones.