- Hyundai is slowly backing away from the all-screen method to inside design.
- Hyundai Design North America Vice President Ha Hak-soo stated that folks “get confused, irritated and steamed once they need to management one thing in a pinch however are unable to take action.”
Screens inside new vehicles are higher than ever. They’re big, they’ve nice decision and the software program behind them is normally snappy and nicely thought out. However after years of shoving what are primarily TVs on dashboards, it seems that folks don’t actually like coping with them, particularly if accessing often-used options like local weather management or quantity settings means digging by menus on a display screen whereas driving.
That’s harmful, nevertheless it’s additionally very annoying, as Hyundai Design North America (HDNA) discovered by the magic of focus teams. That’s why the Korean automaker is seeking to deliver again old school buttons in upcoming vehicles. The facelifted Ioniq 5 already has a redesigned HVAC management panel, however extra are within the pipeline.
“As we have been including built-in [infotainment] screens in our automobiles, we additionally tried placing touchscreen-based controls, and folks didn’t favor that,” stated HDNA Vice President Ha Hak-soo in a current interview with Korea JoongAng Each day.
The rationale why Hyundai–like different automakers–went down the all-touchscreen path was initially because of the “wow” issue of Telsa’s massive multimedia methods. The Korean automaker even went so far as placing two touchscreens on the steering wheel of an idea again in 2019. In the end, although, Hyundai modified its thoughts and is now slowly reversing course.
“After we examined with our focus group, we realized that folks get confused, irritated and steamed once they need to management one thing in a pinch however are unable to take action,” Ha stated.
Photograph by: InsideEVs
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 has a redesigned switchgear panel on the middle console.
For a great variety of years, automotive journalists, fans and business consultants have sounded the alarm for automakers to cease with the touchscreen controls. Extra not too long ago, The European New Automotive Assesment Progamme, higher referred to as Euro NCAP, which performs crash testing and points a star-based security score, entered the dialogue with a extra critical tone. in easy phrases, the group stated that starting in 2026, automakers should match bodily buttons for sure capabilities in the event that they need to get a five-star score, the very best doable. That’s along with the standard energetic and passive security options like airbags and computerized emergency braking.
It’s cool having an enormous display screen–and even a number of screens–inside a automotive. It’s even a fairly well-disguised cost-cutting measure, regardless of few automakers admitting it. But it surely’s actually distracting to need to undergo a menu or a slide-out bar to vary the temperature or skip the present tune. With a easy bodily button or knob–and no, these shiny haptic surfaces aren’t the identical factor–you may simply attain out and do what you need with out even wanting.
