Volkswagen admits it got it wrong with fiddly touchscreens apologises to customers

After widespread public backlash, Volkswagen is shifting away from touchscreens – and back to buttons and dials – for basic controls such as infotainment and air-conditioning.

German car-maker Volkswagen is re-evaluating its reliance on touchscreens for controlling basic functions such as air-conditioning and audio controls, and acknowledged the widespread negative feedback from customers around the world.

During a media event in Europe showing the new-generation Tiguan SUV, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer said the introduction of touch-sensitive controls in Volkswagen cars to handle most tasks has caused frustration among its customers.

In an interview with British publication Autocar, Schafer said: “We had frustrated customers who shouldn’t be frustrated. 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.”

Volkswagen aims to address this issue by reassessing the design of its interiors and focusing on improving user experience.

The upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan begins this transformation by distancing itself from the ideas implemented in the Volkswagen ID.3 and Volkswagen Golf. Both of these models faced criticism for their cumbersome touchscreen controls, which proved to be less than ideal.

In the new Tiguan, while two large screens still can handle most controls, a new rotary controller has been incorporated into the centre console for convenient access to drive modes and volume settings.

Although buttons are still minimised for appearance sake, Schafer emphasised that there is room for them if executed properly.

He stated, “Should it be a button? Should it be a switch? And then you can work on the aesthetics of it. When you do buttons, it’s better to do few buttons, but really nice buttons – like an aeroplane: what are the haptics of it?”

Following the Tiguan, Volkswagen plans to introduce this design philosophy to the next-generation Passat and the updated Golf, both of which are set to be unveiled later this year.

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