The controversy surrounding car touchscreens continues. All indications are that the industry has failed miserably in its commitment to touch controls and big screens, losing sight of what drivers want and even ignoring the effect they have on road safety as driving distractions . Even Euro NCAP has announced measures against touchscreens, including their use for basic vehicle controls.
For all these reasons, more and more manufacturers are publicly announcing the return of the buttons inside their new cars, even if they are electric. Although touch controls are associated with electric cars because of the sleek, futuristic image they give, in reality one thing and the other have nothing to do with each other; and the next electric models will also rely on physical controls, easier to use without taking your eyes off the road.
The latest brand to publicly disavow touch controls is Volkswagenand this is perhaps the most important announcement related to this technology; VW has been one of the manufacturers most likely to embrace touch controls, with models like the Golf adopting a design philosophy that has sparked controversy. But today the company is ready to abandon this philosophy and opt for a completely opposite philosophy.
This was confirmed by Kai Grünitz, head of development at Volkswagen, in an interview with Auto-Express (collected by Engine1), announcing a “new design language” which will already begin to be noticed in the brand's next electric models, and which will affect both the exterior and interior appearance of the new models.
The next revisions of Volkswagen's electric cars, the ID.3 and ID.4, will be responsible for launching this new design, but it is expected that it will also be used in the next generation of one of its most popular models, the Golf, which will have a 100% electric version. Grünitz confirmed that inside, The big news will be the return of traditional controlswith the inclusion of more physical buttons that allow quick access to the most used functions.
This is precisely one of the biggest criticisms of touch screens, namely that access to functions such as air conditioning or radio are hidden in the menus which require the driver's attention, instead of simply detecting commands with touch and changing what we want, as was the case before.
The buttons will come alongside a new design inside Volkswagen vehicles, which will be better quality than current ones; This is the response to another criticism addressed to the brand's latest models. Grünitz says the aim of the new visual identity is to “go back to where we came from”, rediscovering “what Volkswagen is known for”.
