AutoElectric VehiclesVolkswagen says it’s time to bring buttons back for controlling your carVW isn’t going screen-free, but it’s bringing back buttons for many in-car controlsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
AutoElectric VehiclesVolkswagen says it’s time to bring buttons back for controlling your carVW isn’t going screen-free, but it’s bringing back buttons for many in-car controlsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
VW isn’t going screen-free, but it’s bringing back buttons for many in-car controls
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Volkswagen)
(Image credit: Volkswagen)
One of the interesting things about the current car andEV marketis the battle over in-car interfaces.AppleandGooglewould really like cars to have CarPlay orAndroid Auto, but car makers aren’t necessarily so keen: in the war of words between GM and tech firms over its decision to drop their in-car operating systems,GM suggested that in-car, phone-based interfaces were not necessarily the best for control or for safety.
GM has a point: safety organisations are constantly warning us not to mess around with our phones while driving, and yet many in-car interfaces are effectively giant phones that are often less intuitive to use than good old-fashioned buttons. So it’s good to see that VW for one intends to bring at least some of the buttons back.
Posting on X, Auto Express’s Steve Fowlersharedan image of the interior of VW’s ID2.all concept: “The future of Volkswagen interiors revealed. Here’s the ID.2 - on sale in 2025. Classy and not everything on the touchscreen.”
So what’s VW doing that others aren’t?
Why VW is bringing some buttons back
Speaking to Autocar earlier this year, VW boss Thomas Schäfer admitted that there had been customer pushback on what many saw as over-use of touch controls, even saying that the touch-first approach had done some damage to customer loyalty. The new interior design, which is currently a concept but which is destined for use across the VW range, still has a touchscreen but also has buttons below it, as well as the familiar steering wheel controls.
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That doesn’t mean touchscreens are necessarily bad, or that we shouldn’t have digital displays in our cars. But if VW is any indication, the initial enthusiasm for touch-everything is waning in favour of a more sensible approach that delivers the best of both worlds.
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