Chevrolet deletes physical light switch from 2023 Colorado

The light controls loads on the top part of the infotainment system as part of the legal requirement to always be available.

Chevrolet recently unveiled the 2023 Colorado featuring multiple updates, including a fully redesigned cabin. As part of the update, the American carmaker has removed most physical buttons inside the cabin, including that which control's the truck's headlights.

Customers of the 2023 Chevy Colorado will now have to turn on and off the headlights via a sub-menu in the truck's 11.3-inch central touchscreen infotainment display. While the truck does come with automatic headlights, if customers do want to make adjustments they will have to fiddle around with the touchscreen rather than just flicking a switch on the side. Also, if the infotainment fails, customers could lose the ability to control the lights.

Nick Katcherian, Chief Engineer of the 2023 Colorado reasoned that the controls aren't used much since most customers leave the headlights in its auto setting. Also, in the rain, if the wipers are on, the lights turn on automatically. The shift from physical controls to virtual buttons is also said to be to conserve space. The light controls loads on the top part of the infotainment system as part of the legal requirement to always be available.

Katcherian claims that there is no reason to be concerned about any issues, as the team has removed all possible bugs from the infotainment unit. He also stated that software-based switches could help add features to vehicles after they are sold or support optional add-ons. He further stated that virtual switches give customers a lot more flexibility in terms of offering updates in the future, compared to physical switches.

Source: Road&Track