As someone who owns a previous-generation Skoda Octavia, I find my car’s dashboard to be borderline perfect in terms of layout and user interface. It strikes just the right balance between buttons and screens, a feature that virtually all Volkswagen Group products had until the late 2010s or so. After that, VW began shoving nearly everything into the touchscreen in the name of minimalism. They wouldn’t call it cost-cutting, would they?
But VW is aware that a large portion of its customer base prefers a more analog interface. Ralf Brandstätter, the company’s head honcho in China, explained that customers in Europe tend to favor "tactile controls, long-term durability, and driving dynamics." It’s a different story in China, where buyers prioritize “AI-first, connected vehicles, with seamless voice control and smart cockpits.”
Although Brandstätter was comparing EV shoppers in Europe and China, VW’s combustion-engine cars have also largely abandoned physical buttons and knobs. The latest, wagon-only Passat is a clear example of how tablet-like displays have taken over dashboards in recent years. The similarly sized ID.7 Tourer electric wagon also keeps hard buttons down to a minimum.
In VW’s defense, it has promised a return to form. We’ve already seen tentative steps, with the Golf GTI and R reintroducing real buttons on the steering wheel. Additionally, future models will include tactile controls for frequently used functions. Earlier this year, the company’s design chief admitted that going screen-heavy was a mistake. Here’s what Andreas Mindt said:
"From the ID.2all onwards, we will have physical buttons for the five most important functions—the volume, the heating on each side of the car, the fans, and the hazard light—below the screen. They will be in every car that we make from now on. We will never, ever make this mistake again. On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. No guessing anymore. There's feedback, it's real, and people love this. Honestly, it's a car. It's not a phone."
Since VW-badged cars are always twinned with other Group products to spread out costs, there’s a good chance that future models from Skoda, SEAT, Cupra, and the rest of the gang will also revert to proper dashboards. Including more separate controls will undoubtedly drive up production costs, which, logically, will be passed on to buyers. It's a sacrifice some of us are willing to make.
Circling back to Brandstätter's statement, he pointed out that the average age of an electric car buyer in Europe is 56, whereas in China it’s under 35. His post on LinkedIn addresses the question of why cars developed by the VW Group in China aren’t sold in Europe. It all comes down to differing regulations, costs, and customer preferences.
Source: Ralf Brandstätter / LinkedIn
