Audi States Touchscreens Have Reached Their Limit. Buttons Are Making a Comeback
Philip Brabec, Senior Vice President of Audi of America, believes that touchscreens in cars have reached their limit, and physical controls will be returning.
Audi intends to expand the use of physical controls in its interiors. Brabec stated that the company will revert to a more intuitive layout of buttons, switches, and dials instead of hiding all functions in a touchscreen.
According to him, the proliferation of screens was driven by the influence of China and electric vehicles. However, Audi of America does not always have the autonomy to determine solutions for global models, as much depends on the market where the car will be sold.
One of the first elements of this new approach could be dials on the steering wheel. Audi is also considering the return of separate climate control buttons, physical door control elements, and other controls. These principles are already being tested in the Q7 and Q9, and in the near future, they plan to implement them in existing interiors as well.
Brabec linked these changes to the Radical Next design direction and the new Interior Next philosophy. He stated that technology should remain nearly invisible to the driver and function where needed without unnecessary complexity.
Audi did not specify the exact timeline for transitioning to the new solutions or the full list of models that will be affected by these changes.
