Hyundai’s touchscreen honeymoon is over because sometimes buttons are just better

Hyundai, a institution that has been conscionable arsenic blameworthy successful the past of spreading the touchscreen scourge successful cars arsenic immoderate other, has been course-correcting lately, putting much buttons and knobs into its cars. The crushed isn’t surprising: people hatred touchscreens, astatine slightest for definite indispensable controls similar HVAC systems, and they told Hyundai so.

“As we were adding integrated [infotainment] screens successful our vehicles, we besides tried putting touchscreen-based controls, and radical didn’t similar that,” Hyundai Design North America VP Ha Hak-soo told Korea JoongAng Daily in an interrogation that InsideEVs spotted. He said Hyundai, which was arsenic infatuated with touchscreens arsenic the remainder of the manufacture astatine first, recovered that successful absorption radical investigating radical got “stressed, annoyed and steamed erstwhile they privation to power thing successful a pinch but are incapable to bash so.”

You tin spot the effect of those lessons successful cars similar the Hyundai Ioniq 6 — an EV that, yes, has large ol’ touchscreens. But it besides features carnal buttons and knobs for a batch of communal controls (though it does inactive usage touch-sensitive buttons for clime controls). Still, though Hyundai is prioritizing buttons now, HDNA caput of interior plan Kevin Kang told the outlet that self-driving cars could determination the needle backmost towards non-button controls.

Not everyone is keen connected restoring buttons to their rightful place. Last month, Rivian’s Wassym Bensaid suggested that the aboriginal is really dependable control. Maybe that volition assistance with the safety issues presented by touchscreens, which volition gain immoderate touchscreen-heavy cars little information ratings successful Europe starting successful 2026. But volition it beryllium little frustrating to outcry astatine an LLM implicit the sound of screaming kids, construction, cruddy roads, oregon rain? Color maine skeptical. Just springiness america the buttons, y’all.