Volkswagen – Interiors are about to undergo a large transformation – and the shift can leave the futuristic designs of the brand in the rear -view mirror.
VW, the world's second largest car manufacturer of global sale, revealed plans to re -introduce physical buttons and dials, to replace the digital interfaces that studies show that they have emphasized drivers.
For years the company leaned to cost -saving measures and slender, high -tech huts with haptic buttons and digital controls for everything, from audio to climate institutions.
Drivers complained that tech-heavy cars were difficult to operate while driving: passengers should tap several screens to find air conditioning fan speeds or with a series of sliding controllers to change music volumes.
But the best designer of the brand, Andreas Mindt, announced that VW Will 'will never make this mistake again' in an interview with Autocar.
“To be honest, it's a car. It's not a phone: it's a car, “said Mindt.
The shift back to physical buttons starts next year with the launch of the new compact electric vehicle from VW, the ID.2all.
The new EV is the first battery-powered vehicle VW will be launched after announcing a multi-billion dollar deal with Electric Automaker Rivian.
Directors said they 'stressed' due to the change away from phsyic buttons and buttons
Perhaps ironically, Rivian's vehicles have a limited number of interior buttons and buttons.
The company runs its own digital interface in its huts and has scored the highest of each manufacturer on scores for consumer sentiment.
But for many drivers, the switch from digital interfaces is a welcome change.
“I really love this approach,” William Jones, a product engineer and a recent new vehicle buyer, told DailyMail.com about using physical buttons in a car.
'There is a growing community or people who appreciate vehicles [physical buttons]As well as countless YouTube videos that criticize the transmission on screens in modern cars. '
Enthusiasts have fingers on Tesla aimed at the growing acceptance of tablet -like vehicle interiors.
The first own production car of the American EV brand, the Model S, contained a minimalist design that centralized around a gigantic touchscreen.
As the popularity of Tesla increased and it became the fastest rising worldwide automaker, other cars started to simulate the design.
VW said it would start with producing cars with more physical buttons, where it would be taken his new slate from EVs
Tesla's Model Sedan contained a huge tablet -like screen – and inspired car manufacturers to make the digital shift
The id. 2All has been VW's first EV since signing a deal with Rivianus
VW's id. 4 has a central touchscreen that drivers have to tap several times to gain access to climate controls. Mercedes-Benz offers cars with a screen for almost every vehicle dweller.
Even Hyundai tested his digital screens on customers.
Focus groups said the lack of easy to detect buttons made them 'stressed, irritated and steamed'.
Studies of government agencies suggest that technological changes are distracting directors.
Data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2023 showed that adapting interior digital displays increased the crash risk of a driver.
On average, drivers were more than four times more likely to be involved in a crash in 'adjusting devices (eg touchscreens)', according to the analysis.
Jones also said that the interfaces can also become a reliability problem for vehicle owners.
“From a technical point of view, integrating multiple functions into a single screen creates a considerable single point of failure,” he said.
'For example, if a physical button that controls your AC breaks, this would only affect your ability to use the AC.
“If, however, the screen fails, you can lose access to critical functions such as your media system, reverse cameras and even the speedometer in some cases.”
And now several car manufacturers have suggested that they might jump on the digital overload.
“Screens are not luxury,” said Gorden Wagener, the design chef at Mercedes in a recent interview. '
“You have a better – and larger – TV at home, right?”
