Touchscreens here to stay, but some buttons will return, says Cupra tech boss

Touchscreen infotainment systems will continue to dominate user interfaces on Volkswagen Group cars, despite usability criticism. But improvements are in the pipeline, according to SEAT and Cupra research and development boss Dr Werner Tietz.

“I have three children of car-driving age and they love the touchscreen and have no problem with it,” Dr Tietz told Auto Express. “I think you have to find the right mixture; for some positions in the car, I would prefer mechanical switches and adjustments, but to go away from the touchscreen is maybe, for our younger audience, the wrong approach.”

He said group cars in the future will feature a few more buttons, but will not be returning to button-laden cabins.

“For example, the volume adjustment for me is a button where you probably need a physical thing because it’s much easier to handle,” he continued. “But for the rest I don’t see a step back, if it’s done well on a HMI screen or on a steering wheel then you have no problem with that.

Dr Tietz said the Volkswagen Group is “listening to what customers are saying”, and will be changing the steering wheel switchgear on electric models, for example, where the slider controls look good, but fall down in terms of usability.

“It was very modern, but when you look at the customer feedback, social media and in the press, there are a couple of complaints,” he said. “You have to look at the best compromise for the customer, and I think especially on the steering wheel something more physical would be a better solution for a broader audience.”

The firm’s combustion engine cars still have the style of steering wheel controls VW is expected to revert back to, potentially starting with the facelifted ID.3, expected in the next 12 months. 

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