[RahulNagaraj]

Volkswagen recently unveiled the ID 2all concept SUV, which "showed a new approach for all models". The new concept shows Volkswagen is set to bring back physical buttons in the interiors of all its future models going forward. This is in response to the brand's touchscreen-heavy cabin on some of its newer models, which proved unpopular among customers, prompting Volkswagen to go back on its interior design approach.



Darius Watola, Interior Designer at Volkswagen, confirmed that the ID 2all concept's physical button approach was in response to "recent feedback from customers."

Thomas Schafer, CEO of Volkswagen, claimed that their touchscreen approach "did a lot of damage" to the brand. Hence, the new interior now comes with backlit physical buttons for climate control and a rotary knob on the central tunnel to control the touchscreen.



Volkswagen is also said to be looking at phasing out hard plastics, leather and chrome from all its models. The ID 2all concept reflects this by featuring soft-touch materials, mixing fabrics and Alcantara. The interiors make limited use of wood and metals as well.

Source: Autocar UK

Link to Team-BHP news

[vredesbyrd]

Great to see the return of physical buttons (even though it is an EV ).
I suppose this is a step in the right direction and others follow suit.

[davelok]

That something like this had to be considered and implemented is a damning indictment of the sensibility and concern for safety on both sides - drivers and manufacturers.

The first touchscreen ever to be implemented in a car should have driven people back to buttons and dials. Nothing beats real haptic feedback and muscle memory.

[ToThePoint]

Good sense finally prevails! Although it should have been common sense!

The fact that they are reverting back to physical buttons based on 'customer feedback' now just goes to show they just blatantly assumed that touchscreens would be extrapolation of customers life (with touchscreen phones, laptops, watches bla bla) in the first place without giving any second thought about practicality, safety etc. It was essentially a cost cutting exercise IMO

[vamsi.vadrevu]

Auto manufacturers have started putting features and technology just for the sake of making progress. They didn't need to reinvent anything here. There is about 120 years of evolution in automobiles around ergonomics and control surfaces. They didn't need to ruin it by putting large touch surfaces. Just because Tesla did it, they felt they should do it. Even Tesla is back tracking on its outlandish steering and lack of control stalks behind the wheel.

Automakers should instead focus on reliability and efficiency within these components.

A touchscreen is controlled by software that is prone to get slow over time. A physical rotary knob has no software other than what is baked into its ICs during manufacturing. Less stuff to go wrong.

This feels like Microsoft going back on its harebrained touch screen UI initiatives during windows 8.

[Evyas]

Love how first they make these changes and then revert back to more practical things calling it ‘customer feedback’. What ever happened to ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’? Especially in tropical countries like ours where people perspire a lot, touchscreens are pretty hard to operate, get greasy and unresponsive. I tend to perspire a lot and my fingers get grubby very often. Why create one more point of failure in a car which already has so many electronics? I didn’t have a touchscreen in my Duster but now when I look at new models a fear also is what if it starts to behave like my phone. Calls up someone by mistake while I’m cursing someone on the road while driving

[volkman10]

VW design boss confirms buttons coming back: 'It's a car, not a phone'.

VW cut most of the physical controls out of its early EVs and learned a long, painful lesson.

Volkswagen will bring back key controls in physical form, starting with the ID.2all.
All future models will have key controls in button form and will ditch touch panes on the steering wheel.
Mercedes is another automaker that acknowledged screens in cars are not ideal.

We will never, ever make this mistake any more. On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. No guessing any more. There's feedback, it's real, and people love this. Honestly, it's a car. It's not a phone: it's a car

From the ID.2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most important functions—the volume, the heating on each side of the car, the fans and the hazard light—below the screen

The five functions that will have dedicated controls are in addition to requirements from Euro NCAP, which will include them in its safety ratings starting in 2026. If a car doesn’t have physical controls for the horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, hazard lights and SOS functions, it won’t be able to achieve the maximum five-star rating.

Link: