VW To Bring Back Physical Buttons After Backlashes on Its Touch Controls

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Carmakers’ attempt to gizmo up their cars for the sake of offering ‘the latest and greatest’ have resulted in a mixed bag of makes and breaks, with them often messing up the perfectly fine stuff. And one of those things is the physical control buttons.

Volkswagen’s new touch-sensitive controls have split the auto world into two – though many lean towards the nay than the yay. With the said touch controls heavily criticized, the Wolfsburg brand have perhaps finally decided to pull the plug for its dumb-founded ‘innovation’.

Recently, Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars has announced via a LinkedIn post that the brand will consider bringing back the standard-across-the-board push buttons, citing “that’s what customers want from VW”. The VW boss added that this re-introduction is part of the company’s plan to “sharpen our portfolio and our design, plus creating a new simplicity in operating our vehicles”.

Schäfer specifically mentioned the push buttons are returning to the steering wheels, with no mention on the rest of the essential controls. Considering the backlash received, it is safe to bet that said changes will be implemented to every touch control on VW cars.

The rather controversial touch-sensitive controls first marked its debut in the marque’s then new Golf Mk8. Being a beloved poster child of the make, such a decision has prompted numerous negative feedbacks from its fans alike – saying the addition mismatches the Golf’s simplistic approach.

Said touch controls not only replace the steering wheel buttons, but also other essential control buttons such as infotainment controls, climate controls and even the headlight switches. Newer VW models since the Golf Mk8 have all featured touch controls, including the all-electric ID line-ups.

Though some might see it as a last-minute scramble by the German brand to save face, credit has to be given for their willingness to listen and respond to customers’ complaints.