The current design convergence of new cars is too serious, whether they are fuel vehicles or new energy vehicles.A nearly unified approach is to stack the screens to see who has the bigger one and who has the most, and at the same time cut off as many physical buttons as possible. But is this really correct? At least some car companies have begun to think and make changes, such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai Motor.
Hyundai’s latest Concept Three concept car shows the design ideas of future mass production cars.It also indicates that core functions will gradually return to physical buttons instead of relying on touch or voice control..
This concept car eliminates the central control screen and replaces it with multiple customizable small components. At the same time, key driving information is displayed on the screen at the bottom of the windshield, so the driver can obtain the information without having to lower his head.
Simon Loasby, Head of Modern Design Center said:"Many customers complain that operating functions have to be entered through layers of menus. We need to make the process simpler. Even in my own car, I have to go through several layers of menus to turn on seat heating. Is this reasonable?"
He emphasized that unlike some brands that only retain touch and voice operations, Hyundai has not completely eliminated in-car buttons, but the current ratio is still not ideal.
"Users hope to be able to complete high-frequency operations such as adjusting the temperature, turning on the air conditioner, adjusting the volume, heating the seats, and switching songs directly, instead of clicking on the on-screen menu. The question is not 'why do you need buttons?' but 'why do you need a screen?'"
Hyundai revealed that new cars in the next 18 months will gradually reduce their reliance on touch screens, but will not completely cancel the screen. "We retain necessary screen functions while providing physical buttons for high-frequency operations to ensure a more direct interactive experience."
It is worth mentioning that,Simon Loasby has previously complained about the through-type light groups that are currently popular in the industry, saying that this design "has reached the end of its life" and "all car designers should stop."