Volkswagen Promises a Return to Physical Controls - For Real This Time

Volkswagen rightfully caught a lot of criticism over its move to turn most physical controls into touch-based buttons in new vehicles, but the automaker has apparently learned from that mistake. The company’s head of technical development, Kai Grunitz, told Autocar that VW was working on a new dash design to address the issues and focus on more traditional driver controls.

Grunitz confirmed that the upcoming ID 4 and ID 3 facelifts will feature redesigned interiors with a return to phsycial controls for essential vehicle functions like audio, climate, lights, and more. An internal VW source told Autocar that, “We’re going to bring back a round knob for the volume control. If you develop something that works, and it has worked for years, there’s no reason to replace it.” To be fair, Volkswagen is far from the only offender here, but it certainly went off the deep end with touch-based everything in its newest models.

We’ve heard rumbles that Volkswagen was planning to move in that direction, but these are the most direct confirmations yet. Beyond frustrating controls, VW Group has been plagued by software issues, delays, and other problems with its first-generation EVs. The company is expected to push the new control systems to gas vehicles as well, which has already started with physical buttons on the GTI and Golf R’s steering wheels.

[Images: Volkswagen]

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