For the sake of so-called minimalist design, more and more new cars have abandoned physical buttons, either turning to touch controls, or having nothing at all, and relying on screens or voice operations for everything. This has also caused complaints and dissatisfaction from many users. Volkswagen also followed this trend, but it was not welcomed by users. After a long period of complaints and complaints, Volkswagen finally made a new decision:Restore physical buttons on the steering wheel.
It is reported that under the leadership of former CEO Herbert Diess, the German automaker decided to follow Tesla's footsteps and centralize the vast majority of its controls on the infotainment screen. It even did away with physical buttons on the steering wheel and replaced them with touch-sensitive capacitive buttons.
Current CEO Thomas Schäfer does not agree with this radical approach,He said it had "caused a lot of damage" to the brand.
Recently, Volkswagen interior designer Darius Watola talked about the ID.2 concept car’s views on the company’s future car interior design language in an interview, and he confirmed the news of the return of physical buttons.
There is a row of physical backlit buttons just below the ID.2’s central touch screen., these buttons allow users to conveniently turn on and off the air conditioner, etc., and will also be equipped with a manual volume button and a large central knob to control other functions.
Not only that, the control device also emphasizes the importance of feel, and even uses metal knurling to facilitate blind operation.
Volkswagen is not the first car company to return to physical buttons, but with its addition, more well-known car companies should participate.