Andreas Mindt is Volkswagen’s latest executive to claim the end is nigh for touch-sensing haptic controls in the brand’s vehicle interiors, with the design chief calling its move away from physical buttons a mistake.
Volkswagen first rolled out haptic controls in certain models from 2019, with the steering wheel’s cruise control and media selection buttons – as well as the controls below the touchscreen – requiring little more than a light brush to be adjusted.
While this may not sound like an issue when the car is at a standstill, throw in a bumpy road at speed and it could be distracting to try and focus on making minor adjustments.
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Current Golf R steering wheel
Speaking to Autocar, Mr Mindt said all new Volkswagens launched after the production version of the ID. 2all, a sub-Golf-sized electric hatchback, will regain physical buttons for certain key features.
“From the ID. 2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most important functions – the volume, the heating on each side of the car, the fans and the hazard light – below the screen,” Mr Mindt said.
“They will be in every car that we make from now on. We understood this.
“We will never, ever make this mistake any more. On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. No guessing any more.
“There’s feedback, it’s real, and people love this. Honestly, it’s a car. It’s not a phone: it’s a car.”
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ID. 2all concept interior
It’s worth noting Volkswagen has already started to walk back its move to haptic controls, after company boss Thomas Schäfer announced in late 2022 it would return to traditional buttons.
Mr Schäfer even went as far to say the haptic steering wheel switchgear, as well as touch-capacitive climate control sliders, “definitely did a lot of damage” to the brand’s image among its loyal fans.
“We had frustrated customers who shouldn’t be frustrated,” Mr Schäfer told Autocar in 2023.
“So we’ve spent a lot of time now – working through really systematically – on what all the functions are that a customer usually touches when using a vehicle.”
Though models such as the new-generation Tiguan and facelifted Mk8.5 Golf – except the R – have gone back to the more traditional steering wheel controls, no such change has been announced for the existing ID. family of electric vehicles.
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ID. Every1 concept interior
Last year, Ars Technica reported at least 13 crash reports involving the Volkswagen ID.4 had been filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), many of which involved certain Volkswagen vehicles hitting objects while parking.
According to the report, owners claimed the car’s cruise control system became reengaged in the moments leading up to the incidents.
While almost all of the 13 crashes reportedly occurred at relatively low speeds when drivers were parking, three of them resulted in occupants suffering injuries, while one didn’t trigger a black box recording or airbag deployment, despite significant damage to the EV’s battery.
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