At the beginning of last November, Volkswagen reported that it stopped launching models whose steering wheels have touch controls. The reason? The multiple complaints received from users of the brand, the general public and the press, regarding the use of buttons that respond with just the touch of the fingertips.
Implemented in 2019 with the new generation of the Golftouch buttons were also featured on models such as the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.Buzz, and not only on the steering wheel, but also on part of the dashboard, specifically for air conditioning management.
In the last few hours Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen, assured the Autocar media that the application of the touch screens caused “a lot of damage”, which led to “frustrated customers who shouldn’t be.” He did it while the brand presented the advances of the new generation of the Tiguan, whose steering wheel has physical buttons instead of tactile ones.
Interior of the new VW Tiguan.
The change carried out was aimed at facilitating the task of users. To this end, the reform process consisted of classifying the functions most used by customersto define which ones should be activated through buttons, switches or knobs, which ones on the screen and in which position, according to what was reported by Schäfer, CEO of the German brand since 2022.
Already with the development finished (which took them “quite a long time”, according to Schäfer), Volkswagen will apply the same design for the next launches of the brand:
“We are not going to modify it, we do not want to confuse our customers every time a new model is presented”
–Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen
After making its appearance on the Tiguan, the new button layout will be applied to the Golf VIII update, possibly to be presented later this year, and which could be the last for the hatchback, prior to its possible electrification.
