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WIRED
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again
Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than being drunk or high—no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its senses. Courtesy of Hyundai/Rolls Royce All products featured on Wired are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Automakers that nest key controls deep in touchscreen menus—forcing motorists to drive eyes-down rather than concentrate on the road ahead—may have their non-US safety ratings clipped next year. From January, Europe's crash-testing organization EuroNCAP, or New Car Assessment Program, will incentivize automakers to fit physical, easy-to-use, and tactile controls to achieve the highest safety ratings. 'Manufacturers are on notice,' EuroNCAP's director of strategic development Matthew Avery tells WIRED, 'they've got to bring back buttons.' Motorists, urges EuroNCAP's new guidance, should not have to swipe, jab, or toggle while in motion. Instead, basic controls—such as wipers, indicators, and hazard lights—ought to be activated through analog means rather than digital. Driving is one of the most cerebrally challenging things humans manage regularly—yet in recent years manufacturers seem almost addicted to switch-free, touchscreen-laden cockpits that, while pleasing to those keen on minimalistic design, are devoid of physical feedback and thus demand visual interaction, sometimes at the precise moment when eyes should be fixed on the road. A smattering of automakers are slowly admitting that some smart screens are dumb. Last month, Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said that next-gen models from the German automaker would get physical buttons for volume, seat heating, fan controls, and hazard lights. This shift will apply 'in every car that we make from now on,' Mindt told British car magazine Autocar . Acknowledging the touchscreen snafus by his predecessors—in 2019, VW described the 'digitalized' Golf Mk8 as 'intuitive to operate' and 'progressive' when it was neither—Mindt said, 'we will never, ever make this mistake anymore … It's not a phone, it's a car.' Still, 'the lack of physical switchgear is a shame' is now a common refrain in automotive reviews, including on WIRED. However, a limited but growing number of other automakers are dialing back the digital to greater or lesser degrees. The latest version of Mazda's CX-60 crossover SUV features a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, but there's still physical switchgear for operating the heater, air-con, and heated/cooled seats. While it's still touch-sensitive, Mazda's screen limits what you can prod depending on the app you're using and whether you're in motion. There's also a real click wheel. But many other automakers keep their touchscreen/slider/haptic/LLM doohickeys. Ninety-seven percent of new cars released after 2023 contain at least one screen, reckons S&P Global Mobility. Yet research last year by Britain's What Car? magazine found that the vast majority of motorists prefer dials and switches to touchscreens. A survey of 1,428 drivers found that 89 percent preferred physical buttons. Motorists, it seems, would much prefer to place their driving gloves in a glove compartment that opens with a satisfying IRL prod on a gloriously yielding and clicking clasp, rather than diving into a digital submenu. Indeed, there are several YouTube tutorials on how to open a Tesla's glove box. 'First thing,' starts one, 'is you're going to click on that car icon to access the menu settings, and from there on, you're going to go to controls, and right here is the option to open your glove box.' As Ronald Reagan wrote, 'If you're explaining, you're losing.' Voice Control Reversion The mass psychosis to fit digital cockpits is partly explained by economics—updatable touchscreens are cheaper to fit than buttons and their switchgear—but 'there's also a natural tendency [among designers] to make things more complex than they need to be,' argues Steven Kyffin, a former dean of design and pro vice-chancellor at Northumbria University in the UK (the alma mater of button-obsessed Sir Jonny Ive). 'Creating and then controlling complexity is a sign of human power,' Kyffin says. 'Some people are absolutely desperate to have the flashiest, most minimalist, most post-modern-looking car, even if it is unsafe to drive because of all the distractions.' Automakers shouldn't encourage such consumers. 'It is really important that steering, acceleration, braking, gear shifting, lights, wipers, all that stuff which enables you to actually drive the car, should be tactile,' says Kyffin, who once worked on smart controls for Dutch electronics company Philips. 'From an interaction design perspective, the shift to touchscreens strips away the natural affordances that made driving intuitive,' he says. 'Traditional buttons, dials, and levers had perceptible and actionable qualities—you could feel for them, adjust them without looking, and rely on muscle memory. A touchscreen obliterates this," says Kyffin. "Now, you must look, think, and aim to adjust the temperature or volume. That's a huge cognitive load, and completely at odds with how we evolved to interact with driving machines while keeping our attention on the road.' To protect themselves from driver distraction accusations, most automakers are experimenting with artificial intelligence and large language models to improve voice-activation technologies, encouraging drivers to interact with their vehicles via natural speech, negating the need to scroll through menus. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has integrated ChatGPT into its vehicles' voice-control, but it's far too early to say whether such moves will finally make good on the now old and frequently broken promise of voice-controlled car systems from multiple manufacturers. In fact, sticking with Mercedes, the tyranny of touchscreens looks set to be with us for some time yet. The largest glass dashboard outside of China is the 56-inch, door-to-door 'Hyperscreen' in the latest S-Class Mercedes comprising, in one curvaceous black slab, a 12.3-inch driver's display, a 12.3-inch passenger touchscreen, and a 17.7-inch central touchscreen that, within submenus, houses climate control and other key functions. To turn on the heated steering wheel on a Nissan Leaf, there's an easy-to-reach-without-looking square button on the dashboard. To be similarly toasty on the latest Mercedes, you will have to pick through a menu on the MBUX Hyperscreen by navigating to 'Comfort Settings.' (You can also use voice control, by saying 'Hey Mercedes,' but even if this worked 100 percent of the time, it is not always ideal to speak aloud to your auto, as passengers may well attest.) Tesla might have popularized the big-screen digital cockpit, but Buick started the trend with its Riviera of 1986, the first car to be fitted with an in-dash touchscreen, a 9-inch, 91-function green-on-black capacitive display known as the Graphic Control Center that featured such delights as a trip computer, climate control, vehicle diagnostics, and a maintenance reminder feature. By General Motors' own admission, drivers hated it, and it was this seemingly trailblazing feature, along with a reduction in the car's size, that supposedly led to the model's year-on-year sales plummeting by 63 percent. Buick soon ditched the Riviera's screen, but not before a TV science program reviewing the car asked the obvious question: 'Is there a built-in danger of looking away from the road while you're trying to use it?' Reaction Times Worse Than Drunk or High Screens or not, 'motorists shouldn't forget they are driving [potentially] deadly weapons,' says Kyffin. An average of 112 Americans were killed every day on US roads in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's most recent full-year statistics. That's equivalent to a plane crash every day. Despite the proliferation of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), motor crash fatalities in the United States have increased 21 percent in the past 15 years. Forty thousand people have died on the roads in each of the past three years for which complete federal records are available. In-vehicle infotainment systems impair reaction times behind the wheel more than alcohol and narcotics use, according to researchers at independent British consultancy TRL. The five-year-old study, commissioned by road-safety charity IAM RoadSmart, discovered that the biggest negative impact on drivers' reactions to hazards came when using Apple CarPlay by touch. Reaction times were nearly five times worse than when a driver was at the drink-drive limit, and nearly three times worse than when high on cannabis. A study carried out by Swedish car magazine Vi Bilägare in 2022 showed that physical buttons are much less time-consuming to use than touchscreens. Using a mix of old and new cars, the magazine found that the most straightforward vehicle to change controls on was the 2005 Volvo V70 festooned with buttons and no screens. A range of activities such as increasing cabin temperature, tuning the radio, and turning down instrument lighting could be handled within 10 seconds in the old Volvo, and with only a minimum of eyes-down. However, the same tasks on an electric MG Marvel R compact SUV took 45 seconds, requiring precious travel time to look through the nested menus. (The tests were done on an abandoned airfield.) Distraction plays a role in up to 25 percent of crashes in Europe, according to a report from the European Commission published last year. 'Distraction or inattention while driving leads drivers to have difficulty in lateral control of the vehicle, have longer reaction times, and miss information from the traffic environment,' warned the report. A Touch Too Far Seemingly learning little from Buick's Riviera, BMW reintroduced touchscreens in 2001. The brand's iDrive system combined an LCD touchscreen with a rotary control knob for scrolling through menus. Other carmakers also soon introduced screens, although with limitations. Jaguar and Land Rover would only show certain screen functions to drivers, with passengers tasked with the fiddly bits. Toyota and Lexus cars had screens that worked only when the handbrake was applied. With curved pillar-to-pillar displays, holographic transparent displays, displays instead of rear-view mirrors, and head-up displays (HUD), it's clear many in-car devices are fighting for driver attention. HUDs might not be touch-sensitive, but projecting a plethora of vehicle data, as well as maps, driver aids, and multimedia information, onto the windscreen could prove as distracting as toggling through menus. 'Almost every vehicle-maker has moved key controls onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road and raising the risk of distraction crashes,' EuroNCAP's Avery tells WIRED. 'Manufacturers are realizing that they've probably gone too far with [fitting touchscreens].' 'A new part of our 2026 ratings is going to relate to vehicle controls,' says Avery. 'We want manufacturers to preserve the operation of five principal controls to physical buttons, so that's wipers, lights, indicators, horn, and hazard warning lights.' This however does not address the frequent needs for drivers to adjust temperature, volume, or change driver warning systems settings (an endeavor all too commonly requiring navigating down through multiple submenus). Perhaps unfortunately, it looks like continuing with touchscreens won't lose manufacturers any of the coveted stars in EuroNCAP's five-star safety ratings. 'It's not the case that [automakers] can't get five stars unless they've got buttons, but we're going to make entry to the five-star club harder over time. We will wind up the pressure, with even stricter tests in the next three-year cycle starting in 2029.' Regardless, Avery believes auto manufacturers around the world will bring back buttons. 'I will be very surprised if there are markets where manufacturers have a different strategy,' he says. 'From a safety standpoint, reducing the complexity of performing in-vehicle tasks is a good thing,' says Joe Young, the media director for the insurance industry-backed Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). 'The research is clear that time spent with your eyes off the road increases your risk of crashing, so reducing or eliminating that time by making it easier to find and manipulate buttons, dials, and knobs is an improvement.' Neither Young nor Jake Nelson, director of traffic safety research for AAA, would be drawn on whether US automakers—via the US version of NCAP—would adopt EuroNCAP's button nudges. 'Industry design changes in the US market are more likely to occur based on strong consumer demand,' Nelson says. 'It would be ideal to see better coordination between NCAP and EuroNCAP, however, we have not observed much influence in either direction.' Nevertheless, Nelson agrees that 'basic functions, such as climate control, audio, and others, should be accessible via buttons.' He adds that the 'design of vehicle technologies should be as intuitive as possible for users' but that the 'need for tutorials suggests otherwise.' For Edmund King, president of the AA (the UK equivalent to AAA), driver distraction is personal. 'When cycling, I often see drivers concentrating on their touchscreens rather than the road ahead," he says. "Technology should be there to help drivers and passengers stay safe on the roads, and that should not be to the detriment of other road users.' Screen Out The deeper introduction of AI into cars as part of software-defined vehicles could result in fewer touchscreens in the future, believes Dale Harrow, chair and director of the Intelligent Mobility Design Center at London's Royal College of Art. Eye scanners in cars are already watching how we're driving and will prod us—with haptic seat buzzing and other alerts—when inattention is detected. In effect, today's cars nag drivers not to use the touchscreens provided. '[Automakers] have added [touchscreen] technologies without thinking about how drivers use vehicles in motion,' says Harrow. 'Touchscreens have been successful in static environments, but [that] doesn't transfer into dynamic environments. There's sitting in a mock-up of a car and thinking it's easy to navigate through 15 layers, but it's far different when the car is in motion.' Crucially, touchscreens are ubiquitous partly because of cost—it's cheaper to write lines of computer code than to add wires behind buttons on a physical dash. And there are further economies of scale for multi-brand car companies such as Volkswagen Group, which can put the same hardware and software in a Skoda as they do a Seat, changing just the logo pop-ups. Additionally, over-the-air updates almost require in-car computer screens. A car's infotainment system, the operation of ambient lighting, and other design factors are an increasingly important part of car design, and they need a screen for manufacturers to incrementally improve software-defined vehicles after rolling off production lines. Adding functionality isn't nearly as simple when everything is buttons. Not all screens cause distractions, of course—reversing cameras are now essential equipment, and larger navigation screens mean less time looking down for directions—but to demonstrate how touchscreens and voice control aren't as clever as many think they are, consider the cockpit of an advanced passenger jet. The Boeing 777X has touchscreens, but they are used by pilots only for data input—never for manipulation of controls. Similarly, the cockpit of an Airbus A350 also has screens, but they're not touch-sensitive, and there are no voice-activated controls either. Instead, like in the 777X, there are hundreds of knobs, switches, gauges, and controls. Of course, considering the precious human cargo and the fact that an A350 starts at $308 million, you can't fault Airbus for wanting pilots' eyes on the skies rather than screens. There are slightly fewer tactile controls in the $429,000 Rolls-Royce Spectre, the luxury car company's first electric vehicle. There's a screen for navigation, yes, but also lots of physical switchgear. Reviewing the new Black Badge edition of the high-end EV, Autocar said the vehicle's digital technology was 'integrated with restraint.' Along with Volkswagen reintroducing physical buttons for functions like volume and climate control, Subaru is also bringing back physical knobs and buttons in the 2026 Outback. Hyundai has added more buttons back into the new Santa Fe, with design director Ha Hak-soo confessing to Korean JoongAng Daily towards the end of last year that the company found customers didn't like touchscreen–focused systems. And, if EuroNCAP gets its way, that's likely the direction of travel for all cars. Buttons are back, baby.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volkswagen brings back buttons: 'It's not a phone, it's a car'
Volkswagen has heard the complaints loud and clear. The company's design chief, Andreas Mindt, confirmed in a recent interview with Autocar that physical buttons will return to VW's next generation of electric vehicles. The decision marks a shift away from the touch-heavy controls that have frustrated drivers in recent years, with Mindt promising, 'We will never, ever make this mistake anymore.' While touchscreens offer versatility and sleek aesthetics, they have come at the cost of usability. Many drivers have criticized VW's reliance on touch-sensitive controls, particularly for essential functions like climate control and volume adjustment. Mindt emphasized that Volkswagen is committed to ensuring its cars remain intuitive and easy to operate, stating, 'It's not a phone: it's a car.' This isn't the first time VW has acknowledged the issue. CEO Thomas Schäfer made a similar promise in 2023, admitting that the company's earlier approach was difficult to use. However, this time, there's a concrete timeline: the transition will begin with the launch of the ID.2all, Volkswagen's upcoming compact EV, which is expected to enter production later this year and go on sale globally in 2026. VW won't be eliminating touchscreens altogether — they remain necessary for navigation, infotainment, and backup camera functions. However, critical controls like volume, temperature adjustments, and hazard lights will have dedicated physical buttons in all future VW models. 'They will be in every car that we make from now on. We understood this,' Mindt assured. The move is a direct response to customer and critical feedback, acknowledging that the driving experience should prioritize tactile, easy-to-use controls. The ID.2all — often described as the spiritual successor to the Volkswagen Golf — will be the first model to reflect this philosophy. In the U.S., customers may have to wait until at least 2027 to experience these improvements firsthand. If VW follows through on its promise, it could regain goodwill from drivers frustrated by the industry's shift toward touch-sensitive everything. Volkswagen's decision to reintroduce buttons isn't happening in isolation. A growing safety movement is pushing automakers to rethink their reliance on touchscreens. Starting in 2026, the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) will require physical controls for five critical functions — turn signals, hazard warning lights, horn, windshield wipers and the emergency call (eCall) system — for a vehicle to earn a five-star safety rating. The move comes in response to studies showing that touchscreens increase driver distraction, forcing motorists to take their eyes off the road for extended periods. 'The overuse of touchscreens is an industry-wide problem,' said Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at Euro NCAP. While these regulations don't yet apply in the U.S., they could influence future safety standards and consumer expectations globally. Some automakers, including Mazda and Toyota, have resisted fully touchscreen-based interiors, maintaining physical buttons for key controls. Volkswagen's decision aligns with this growing shift, potentially positioning the company as a leader in a new wave of driver-friendly car design. For now, driving enthusiasts can celebrate: buttons are back, and hopefully this time, they're here to stay.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volkswagen ID Every1 previews £17k city car for 2027
ID Every1 uses new 94bhp motor, giving a claimed top speed of 81mph Volkswagen has vowed to realise its long-held goal of an 'affordable' £17,000 electric car in 2027 with the arrival of the production version of the new ID Every1 concept car. Described by Volkswagen as a model 'from Europe for Europe', the new car will serve as the spiritual successor to the Up as an A-segment city car and become the entry point to the German firm's range of bespoke electric ID models. Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer has described the model, which will be part of the firm's new Electric Urban Car Family, as 'the last piece of the puzzle' in its mass market line-up, adding: "this is the car the world has been waiting for." The production version of the ID Every1 will sit on a modified version of the new front-wheel-drive MEB Entry platform, which has been developed for the forthcoming ID 2, ID 2X, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq. Those models will all be built at the Seat factory in Martorell, Spain, with prices for the ID 2 starting from around £21,000 (€25,000). Volkswagen development chief Kai Grünitz said that the front end of the new machine from the font wheel to the A-pillar is largely the sam as the ID 2all concept, but it then uses a different, smaller battery and has a shorter wheelbase. It also features a new rear axle, which is based on that used in the current Polo. The ID Every1 features what is described as a newly developed electric motor that produces 94bhp and gives the car a claimed top speed of 81mph. Volkswagen has provided no details of the battery capacity or what chemistry it will use but claims the model will offer a range of 'at least' 155 miles. It will also be the first Volkswagen Group model to benefit from a new software architecture that has been developed through a new joint venture with American EV start-up Rivian. For comparison with the cheapest EVs currently on sale in the UK, the Dacia Spring is priced from £14,995 and offers 44bhp and a range of 140 miles, while the £15,940 Leapmotor T03 produces 94bhp and offers 165 miles. Meanwhile, Volkswagen has previously said the ID 2 will offer 223bhp and around 280 miles. The ID Every1 concept is likely to serve as a close preview of how the production car will look. It has chunky, upright proportions that evoke the Up. Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said the goal was to create a car that offered 'character and an identity that people can relate to'. There are large LED headlights and a rounded front end that, Mindt said, is intended to make the car friendly and likeable through 'a slightly cheeky smile'. The front and rear badges are illuminated. The concept features sculpted wheel arches and 19in wheels while, as is typical for an EV, the axles have been pushed to the vehicle's extremities to maximise interior space. The relatively simple silhouette and side bodywork is intended to give the car a 'timeless' and 'classless' design, according to Mindt. As with the ID 2all, the ID Every1's design features a number of nods to VW's heritage. In particular, the rear C-pillar has been designed to evoke that of the first-generation Golf. Mindt has spoken of wanting every Volkswagen model he designs to offer a 'secret sauce' that helps imbue the vehicle with character. In the case of the ID Every1, Mindt cites the lowered middle section of the roof, a design concept he claimed is borrowed from sports cars. Other 'secret sauce' elements include the integrated third brake light in the roof recess and the new designs for the 19in alloy wheels. The ID Every1 is 3880mm long, which places it between the Up (3600mm) and Polo (4074mm). The ID2all concept that will sit above it in VW's future electric line-up measures 4050mm. Volkswagen describes the ID Every1 as a four-seater and says it also offers a 305-litre boot – a substantial increase on the 251 litres offered by the Up. The interior of the ID Every1 features a simple design with a prominent-looking dashboard. While the dash is dominated by a centrally mounted touchscreen, it is notable that there are physical buttons for the temperature, heating and volume controls below it. The steering wheel is a squared-off two-spoke affair. Meanwhile, the front passenger has access to a variable multi-purpose panel to which different items, such as a tablet or shelf, can be attached. A removable Bluetooth speaker is located between the driver and passenger. The centre console is similar to that offered in the ID Buzz and is mounted on a rail so that it can be slid from the front to the rear compartment. It also features pull-out shelving. Volkswagen development chief Grünitz said the production version of the ID Every1 will be a 'customer-defined vehicle' – a phrase evoking the 'software-defined vehicle' term that reflects the car industry's increasing push towards vehicles designed around their computing architecture. The ID 1 will be the first model in the Volkswagen Group to use a 'fundamentally new' zonal software architecture from the firm's new joint venture with American EV start-up Rivian. That new system is based on the existing software used in the Rivian R1T pick-up and R1S SUV, and is intended to be highly flexible, so it can be stripped back for the ID 1 with extra zones added for more premium models to make the software run faster and add extra features. "The main benefit is that it's highly flexible and updatable," said Grünitz. "We see that with Rivian models on the road today, which can be updated with new functions for customers on a regular basis without the need to touch them. It's really the next step." Grünitz did not rule out offering functions as paid-for extras that can be downloaded using software, but said that "we don't need that" to hit the ID 1's planned £17,000 target price, adding: "we are not shooting in that direction today." While it is unusual to debut an advanced new software architecture on an entry level vehicle, VW said that showcased how important the entry level ID 1 market was to the firm. It also allows VW to learn about the software platform before it is used on the next-generation ID Golf due in the coming years. Volkswagen has said that the production version of the ID Every1 will be built in Europe, but has yet to commit to a specific plant. The model could initially be produced alongside the ID 2 and its siblings in Spain, although given the group has already committed to producing four models from that location, it is most likely to be built elsewhere. The ID Every1 is the first concept to be launched since the firm agreed a new 'Future Volkswagen' plan with unions at the end of last year. That strategy includes binding targets for future projects, including a commitment to strengthening its competitiveness by expanding its existing model range, and becoming the 'technologically leading high-volume manufacturer'. Volkswagen will launch nine new models by 2027, including the production versions of both the ID 2all and ID Every1. The firm will reveal the next member of its Electric Urban Car Family, the ID 2 X crossover, in autumn this year, most likely at the Munich motor show. ]]>
