Go Lo-Tech: Over the years, Volkswagen has removed the physical button in its vehicles, selecting the control settings in its infotainment panel. Now, the company is retreating. It is a controversial tendency that has shaken a monumental debate within the auto industry among the customers who hate IT and car manufacturers love advertising opportunities.
Volkswagen will bring back physical control for the most essential cabin controls of some of its vehicles. According to Andreas Mindat, the head of design for the German car manufacturer was a mistake replacing the button with touchscreen control. A mistake designer never promised to repeat.
Mindat confirmed the change during an recent interview. The first car that will return the control is the Volkswagen ID 2all model, a budget electric car set to come in 2026 in Europe. Knobs and switches include the volume of sound system, heating, fans and danger lights on each side of the car.
Volkswagen assembly lines will continue to implement changes in every new car. The physical button center is not limited to the console, either. Drivers can enjoy limited driving distractions from pained steering-wheel control. Trying to tap a non-technical button on a touchscreen has never been the best solution, no matter the car manufacturer. Mindat said that physical buttons provide tangible response, which does not require drivers to take their eyes from the road.
Mindat mentioned that customers and critics criticized the Woakeswagen’s design team when it went into the All-in Infotainment Center Control. Touch interfaces will play an important role with large screens and more human-masine interfaces in Volkswagen’s Center Console. However, physical functions will be accessible through the physical interface layer of the car.
The automotive industry has debated touchscreen-based infotainment platforms for a few years. Touch controls are cheap to produce today’s digital ecosystem, but they are not the best option from the security point of view.
A few years ago, a Swedish magazine tested the ability of drivers to control cabin functions using touchscreen with a control group with physical control. Unexpectedly, drivers in the car with the physical button (Volvo V70) performed better than models that were only one touchscreen. Recently, the European new car evaluation program stated that vehicles require physical control for at least five cabin functions to earn the organization’s highest safety rating.
