- Hyundai is slowly backing away from the all-screen strategy to inside design.
- Hyundai Design North America Vice President Ha Hak-soo mentioned that individuals “get pressured, irritated and steamed after they wish 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 properly thought out. However after years of shoving what are primarily TVs on dashboards, it seems that individuals don’t actually like coping with them, particularly if accessing often-used options like local weather management or quantity settings means digging by way of menus on a display whereas driving.
That’s harmful, but it surely’s additionally very annoying, as Hyundai Design North America (HDNA) discovered by way of the magic of focus teams. That’s why the Korean automaker is trying 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 had been including built-in [infotainment] screens in our automobiles, we additionally tried placing touchscreen-based controls, and other people didn’t want that,” mentioned HDNA Vice President Ha Hak-soo in a current interview with Korea JoongAng Day by 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 techniques. 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.
“Once we examined with our focus group, we realized that individuals get pressured, irritated and steamed after they wish to management one thing in a pinch however are unable to take action,” Ha mentioned.
Picture by: InsideEVs
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 has a redesigned switchgear panel on the middle console.
For a very good variety of years, automotive journalists, fans and trade specialists have sounded the alarm for automakers to cease with the touchscreen controls. Extra just lately, The European New Automotive Assesment Progamme, higher often called Euro NCAP, which performs crash testing and points a star-based security ranking, entered the dialogue with a extra severe tone. in easy phrases, the group mentioned that starting in 2026, automakers must match bodily buttons for sure features in the event that they wish to get a five-star ranking, the best potential. That’s along with the standard energetic and passive security options like airbags and computerized emergency braking.
It’s cool having a giant display–and even a number of screens–inside a automotive. It’s even a reasonably well-disguised cost-cutting measure, regardless of few automakers admitting it. Nevertheless it’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 possibly can simply attain out and do what you need with out even wanting.
