Volkswagen brings back physical controls for essential cabin functions

Go low-tech: Over the last few years, Volkswagen has removed physical buttons in its vehicles, choosing to bake control settings into its infotainment panel. Now, the company is backtracking. It's a controversial trend that has stirred monumental debate within the auto industry between customers who hate it and carmakers loving the advertising opportunities. Volkswagen will bring back physical controls for some of its vehicles' most essential cabin controls. According to Andreas Mindt, head of design for the German carmaker, replacing buttons with touchscreen controls was a mistake. A mistake the designer promised never to repeat. Mindt confirmed the change during a recent interview. The first car the controls will return to is the Volkswagen ID 2all model, a budget electric car set to arrive in 2026 in Europe. The knobs and switches include sound system volume, heating on each side of the car, fans, and hazard light. Volkswagon will continue applying the changes to every new car fr ... Read full article.