Volkswagen Admits Mistake: Here's Why They Ditched the Buttons
After years of insisting on digital controls, the German manufacturer is gradually bringing back traditional buttons and rotary knobs in its cars.
After years of insisting on digital controls, the German manufacturer is gradually bringing back traditional buttons and rotary knobs in its cars.
Volkswagen has finally given an honest explanation for one of its most controversial interior design decisions, one that has frustrated drivers for years. This refers to the replacement of classic physical buttons and rotary knobs with touch surfaces, sliders, and capacitive controls on the steering wheel, which became a hallmark of their ID line of electric vehicles.
Today, the company is gradually reversing that direction. The new ID.3 Neo model brings back more traditional buttons and removes the hated sliders for temperature and volume, while the ID. Polo and ID. Cross feature separate switches for all windows.
In an interview with Automobilwoche, Andreas Krepp, head of quality assurance at Volkswagen, explained the thinking that led to the radical digitalization. According to him, with electric vehicles, there was an idea that something new was beginning, so the controls also had to change significantly and be particularly modern.
"What seems obvious to you or me today may be viewed quite differently at a certain point. Then someone says: 'People won't want that at all in the future.' And when reliable customer data is lacking, a lot is simply tried out. With electric vehicles, including at our company, there was an idea: Something new is beginning [electric vehicles], so the controls must also change significantly and be particularly modern. For example, we said: 'Let's install sliders instead of traditional rotary knobs. That's the future.' Then we learned that customers who buy an electric vehicle primarily seek a different type of drive. They don't automatically want to buy a spaceship. For me, this is a good example of learning ability. We listened, took customer feedback seriously, and acted on it. Today, we weigh options much more carefully: Where does a new user interface concept truly add value, and where is a proven, intuitive solution simply better?"
Krepp added that the key lesson was that customers of electric vehicles primarily seek a different type of drive, not necessarily a spaceship.
Volkswagen's current leadership has repeatedly acknowledged that the previous approach frustrated customers. CEO Thomas Schäfer previously stated that touch controls "definitely did a lot of damage," leading to a gradual return to tactile controls.
Motor1 reports that the upcoming refreshed ID.4 will likely feature more conventional switches, and there is hope that the new, old approach will extend to internal combustion engine models like the Golf and Passat, which also suffer from overly simplified interiors.
Interestingly, this trend is not limited to Volkswagen. While Mazda, according to Motor1, disagrees with the assessment that physical controls make it easier to operate without taking your eyes off the road, more and more manufacturers are rethinking their digital interiors. Motor1 highlights the irony that the future has now arrived, and it turns out customers were nowhere near as interested in living in a spaceship as manufacturers thought.
From Wolfsburg, Volkswagen's headquarters, they deserve credit for admitting their mistake rather than pretending the era of touch sliders was part of some grand master plan, Motor1 concludes.
