Hyundai Put Buttons Back In Cars Because People Like Them
In the last few years, Hyundai models have featured new touch-centric controls for climate and other functions, something the company is beginning to realize may have been a mistake.
“As we were adding integrated [infotainment] screens in our vehicles, we also tried putting touchscreen-based controls, and people didn’t prefer that,” Hyundai Design North America Vice President Ha Hak-soo told reporters.
“When we tested with our focus group, we realized that people get stressed, annoyed and steamed when they want to control something in a pinch but are unable to do so,” Ha told Korea JoongAng Daily.
Ha says the company was initially swooned with large, high-resolution touch-centric infotainment systems like those found in Teslas, and had begun to implement its own array of glossy, touch-focused user interfaces.
The result of customer feedback is a shift back towards physical controls. The Ioniq 5 has seen more buttons reintroduced during its facelift, and the latest Kona features a wide array of buttons used to control essential functions in the interior.
However, while Hyundai is currently re-emphasizing physical switchgear, its driver aids could move the needle again. Head of Hyundai Design North America Kevin Kang says that interiors will change as automated driving features mean drivers can become, at least in some ways, passengers.
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Chase is an automotive journalist with years of experience in the industry. He writes for outlets like Edmunds and AutoGuide, among many others. When not writing, Chase is in front of the camera over at The Overrun, his YouTube channel run alongside his friend and co-host Jobe Teehan. If he's not writing reviews of the latest in cars or producing industry coverage, Chase is at home in the driver's seat of his own (usually German) sports cars.
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Winter is the test. Having to remove gloves to adjust climate controls with a screen is just plain unsafe.