Volkswagen to go old-school with physical buttons in future models
Volkswagen plans to bring back physical buttons in the interiors of its upcoming models, drawing inspiration from the ID 2all concept SUV. The automaker's recent focus on touchscreens and touch-based capacitive buttons hasn't reportedly been well-received by customers, leading to a shift in interior design tactics. Darius Watola, Volkswagen's interior designer, mentioned that the concept "showed a new approach for all models" in response to "recent feedback from customers."
New approach addresses customer feedback, safety concerns
Moreover, CEO Thomas Schafer admitted that the touchscreen-centric design "did a lot of damage" to the carmaker, per Autocar India. The revamped interior will include a row of backlit physical buttons for climate controls and a rotary controller atop the central tunnel for touchscreen management. Watola stressed the importance of having a display within the driver's line of sight for safety, but acknowledged that "customers had a different view in Europe" compared to other global markets.
Sustainable materials, clever storage features expected in production
In addition to design changes, Volkswagen is prioritizing sustainability by phasing out hard plastics, glue, leather, and chrome. The ID 2all concept features soft-touch materials, fabrics, and Alcantara, with minimal use of woods and metals. Watola hopes to see as many of these features and materials as possible in production cars by 2025. Innovative storage solutions like foldable rear bench bottoms and underfloor trunk storage are also anticipated to make their way into production models.
