Volkswagen (VW) will reintroduce physical buttons for key functions in its future vehicles, reversing its earlier move toward touch-sensitive controls, the company’s design chief Andreas Mindt said. The change will begin with the upcoming ID.2 model.
“We will never, ever make this mistake any more,” Mindt told Autocar. “On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. No guessing any more. There’s feedback, it’s real, and people love this.”
See also: Volkswagen Unveils ID. Every1, a €20,000 EV Targeting Mass Market Adoption
VW initially replaced traditional buttons with touch-sensitive controls on steering wheels and dashboards in late 2022, a decision that was met with customer criticism. The company later acknowledged the concerns following the introduction of the ID.2all concept in 2023 and pledged to restore physical controls in production models.
According to Mindt, future VW models will include dedicated buttons for volume, seat heating, fan controls, and hazard lights, located directly below the infotainment screen. “In every car that we make from now on, we understood this,” he said.
See also: Volkswagen Confirms Plans for Electric T-Roc, Previews Future Entry-Level EV
The first production model to adopt these changes will be the ID.2all electric supermini, expected to launch in 2026. The ID.Every1 concept, slated for release in 2027, will follow a similar design. The move will also phase out haptic sliders currently used for media volume, navigation zoom, and climate control across several VW Group models, including the facelifted Golf.
Despite the return of physical controls, touchscreens will remain a central element of VW’s interiors. “There are a lot of functions you have to deliver in certain areas, so the screen will be big and you will find a lot of HMI contents in the depths of the system,” Mindt said. “But the five main things will always be on the first physical layer. That’s very important.”
See also: Volkswagen Announces 2025 ID.4 Pricing and Availability in U.S.
