Future Volkswagen interiors will all draw inspiration from the ID 2all concept car and bring back physical buttons and controls.
The touchscreen-heavy approach taken for the Mk8 Golf and ID 3 has proven unpopular with customers, prompting a complete about-turn by the company in the way it approaches design.
VW interior designer Darius Watola said the ID2all concept “showed a new approach for all models” and was in response to “recent feedback from customers”.
The new interior has a row of physical (and backlit) buttons for the climate and a rotary controller on the centre tunnel to control the screen on the dashboard above, much like with BMW’s iDrive.
As well as a main central touchscreen for infotainment, there’s also a screen for driving information. Watola said such a display in the driver’s eyeline is crucial for safety.
He said that “customers had a different view in Europe” than in other global markets and wanted “more physical buttons”.
There’s also a revolution in terms of material use, as VW is looking to phase out hard plastics, glue, leather and chrome.
Almost every surface in the ID 2all is soft to the touch, mixing fabrics and Alcantara as part of a sustainability push. There’s limited use of some woods and metals, too.
Watola expressed a desire to see as many features and materials as possible from the concept to the production car in 2025 (which now seems unlikely to take the ID 2 name into showrooms).
However, the goal remains a sub-€25,000 (£22,000) price, which might limit some of the more premium-feeling materials in the cabin.
The concept’s screens can be selected in different themes, including retro graphics from the original Golf, and this feature is expected to make production.
Source: Volkswagen brings back physical buttons for all new cars | Autocar
Very glad that people are starting to realise that touchscreens are not only unsafe but also unhandy, slow and annoying
Robin Edgar
Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft