Volkswagen reintroduces physical buttons as touchscreen fatigue grows

Future products in the Volkswagen VWAGY ( ▲ 1.58% ) lineup will include a major shift back to a more traditional in-vehicle feature – physical control buttons. 

The details: Design Chief Andreas Mindt indicated that—amid consumer frustrations over Volkswagen’s haptic controls—all future VW models, beginning with the ID. 2all will have physical buttons for the five most important interior functions (via Autocar).

• VW’s five interior functions include physical control buttons for the volume, heating on each side of the car, the fans, the hazard lights, and below the infotainment screen.

• Future VW models will also have physical buttons on the steering wheels but will continue to offer touchscreens due to legal requirements in markets like the US that will require all vehicles to use backup cameras.

• The ID. 2all – the first VW to feature the control modifications – is an entry-level electric vehicle scheduled to make its global debut later this year.

What they’re saying: “We will never, ever make this mistake anymore...No guessing anymore. There's feedback, it's real, and people love this. Honestly, it's a car. It's not a phone: it's a car,” said Mindt to Autocar.

Between the lines: Volkswagen’s decision to replace some digital interfaces with more traditional control buttons signifies a trend adopted by other car manufacturers to address consumer concerns with touchscreens. 

• A 2023 J.D. Power survey found that touch-based infotainment systems were a major contributor to a two-year decline in overall consumer satisfaction with their vehicles for the first time in 28 years. 

• Another J.D. Power study released in 2024 found that only 56% of drivers surveyed indicated that they prefer to use their vehicle’s built-in infotainment system to play audio. 

What they’re saying: “There was this kind of touchscreen mania, where all of a sudden everything became a touchscreen. Your car was a touchscreen, your refrigerator was a touchscreen. Over time, people became fatigued with that,” said Rachel Plotnick, Associate Professor, Cinema and Media Studies, Indiana University in Bloomington via IEEE Spectrum

Why it matters: Volkswagen’s adoption of more physical buttons will make it easier for VW salespeople to walk car buyers through the interior features of a vehicle. The move should also reduce the number of incoming calls a dealer gets from customers inquiring about how to use certain in-vehicle features.

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