Ford has unveiled a Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid research vehicle. It uses fabric made using Coca-Cola's PlantBottle Technology for seat cushions, seat backs, head restraints and door panel inserts and headliners. It is set to debut at the LA Auto Show.

The fabric consists of up to 30 percent plant based materials and shows the potential for renewable materials to help replace petroleum and other fossil fuels.

Both Coca-Cola and Ford use PET, a durable, lightweight plastic also known as polyethylene terephthalate, in a variety of products including plastic bottles, fabrics and carpets.

They estimate that if all their U.S. models used that, nearly 4 million pounds of petroleum-derived materials would be eliminated, saving the equivalent of 295,000 gallons of gasoline and 6,000 barrels of oil.