Volkswagen believes that car screens are getting too far

For some car manufacturers, Only the screens matter. After the extreme minimalism of Tesla Model 3 2017 That eliminated buttons to relegate the control of the car to the huge central screen, there were manufacturers that got into the car. Filling the screw dashboard seemed like luxury at the wheel, but it is an idea that has not set Among users, critics and even the most relevant body in Europe to evaluate the safety of vehicles: EURO NCAP. Now, the brands are realized that they cannotPost everything to the screens And there are such strong statements as that of the Volkswagen design chief, who has recognized that “it is not a phone: it is a car.” Trend. Tesla is the perfect example when talking about cars screens. It is not the one that has the most, but that, in its last models, has relegated virtually all the functions of the car to that central console. Other brands like Mercedes soon got into the car with splashes in which the screens were protagonists and there are those who have taken this to the extreme, especially when we talk about electric car. Mazda 6e, the Electric Berlina And Mazda 3 It seems that talking about 100% implies putting aside the buttons. Even brands such as Mazda who have opted for small and touch screens only with the stopped vehicle have given a flying when they have presented the electric model. But perhaps one of the most exaggerated cases is Volkswagen. “Buttons”. In quotes. In the main image we have the dashboard of the Volkswagen ID. Every1the new 100% electric utility that wants to place itself as the electric car par excellence. The interior is futuristic, science fiction and yes, it has buttons. Real buttons, not like those of the Atlas, the new golf or the ID.4. THE FLYING OF ID.4 In these three models, The buttons are haptic, A kind of digital button that does not offer that pulsation feedback such as when we put pressure on a real button, but a vibration. How to type on a mobile phone, go. On the way, it may not be enough to give information to the driver when there are elements such as the vibration of the vehicle itself when rolling through a land that is not completely smooth. “It’s not a mobile”. This model has not yet went on sale, but the criticisms and the latest decisions of Euro Ncap seem that they have made the German firm rethink things. And he has done it. As we read in CoachAndreas Mindt, the brand design chief, has been the one who has taken the initiative by commenting that, from ID.2 that will arrive next year, all cars will have “physical buttons for the five most important functions.” These functions are volume, heating, fans control and emergency light. “They will be in every car that we do from now on, we have understood.” This reverse is curious, but well received because it is evident that they recognize that there is a real problem with this type of tactile interfaces and that do not use everything. “Never, we’ll never make this mistake again. In the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. We will not have to guess more and have real feedback. People love that and, honestly, it is a car. Not a phone: it’s a car. ” Not a luxury. VW has not been the only one that, recently, has realized that touch screens as the only method of control of the car are a engoring for certain things and a potential risk for safety. The German Mercedes has also considered the screens a luxury symbol in its recent vehicles. The more, and bigger, the better. However, although the ‘Hyperscreen’ will not go anywhere, the design chief of the three -pointed brand admitted in a recent interview that they must devise another way to transfer that luxury to their vehicles, such as better finishes or more handmade pieces … instead of so much screen. With head. The truth is that, since the fever began by the car “Every screen”, each brand has made the war on its own. Lincoln, for example, It offers huge screensbut not tactile and only serve as a information viewer. Mazda (except in the 6e) continues to bet on buttons next to a screen of food dimensions; Peugeot, Renault or Toyota, among others, also incorporate large screens, but there are elements such as physical buttons in the steering wheel and to control the air conditioning that are maintained. Mindt rounded his comment on the future of the interfaces in Volkswagen stating that they will continue to offer touch screens “partly due to the new legal requirements that, as in the US, impose that all cars have a backward chamber. There are a lot of other functions that we can offer in certain areas and the screens will be large, but the five main things will always be in the form of physical button. That is very important. ” Therefore, whether by Euro NCAP warning or because they have realized that delegating all vehicle actions to haptic screens or buttons is not the most sensible, welcome that VW philosophy. Images | Mazda, Volkswagen In Xataka | Is the electric car worth it? Here you have a savings calculator to check it out

All those touch screens in the Tesla and the rest of the cars sound very well. Euro NCAP thinks otherwise

Euro NCAP has been notifying for about a year: cars that bet absolutely everything to the touch screens will have problems to obtain the coveted five stars of its qualification system. For some manufacturers Only the screens mattera Simply terrible decision that allows them to save costs by adding additional steps that could be made by pressing a simple button. The date on which Euro NCAP will begin to penalize this philosophy is closer, but we have bad news: it will not change practically anything. Euro Ncap pressures. We are more or less agree with the methodologies used by its system, Euro NCAP is the most relevant body in Europe to evaluate the safety of new vehicles. After performing its collision tests and various trials, it is evaluated by a system of stars (up to five) how sure is the car. The system takes into account adult protection systems, children, impact on pedestrians and security assists (ADAS) among others and, from 2026, an additional factor enters into the equation: how simple it is to perform basic car functions. Specifically, these five. Selection of flashes Button activation Warning Ring Activate the windshield wiper Activation of Ecall emergency button If it is not possible to activate each and every one of these functions quickly by means of a physical button, the car will not get the five stars. Why (almost) nothing will change. Virtually all current cars have physical controls for the actions described. One of the few that do not include manufacturers such as Tesla is that of Ecall emergency activation, which currently can only be activated using the upper bar of its touch screen. If the American company wants five stars in the cars that you sell in Europe, you will have to adopt this button in physical shape, or in the steering wheel or location they consider. It is a movement that may seem lower, but introducing a new button in a vehicle, or not in the steering wheel, it is important additional costs for the thousands of units that will have to be manufactured in 2026. Whatever it may be, in the face of the end user, everything will remain practically the same: beyond these mandatory standards, everything will continue to be governed by a screen. An important brake for industry. Although this new Euro NCAP standard will not be especially relevant, the organism’s pressures to the industry to keep the physical buttons are more than necessary. Volkswagen already had among his plans to end them to replace them with screenswith the consequent criticism of your buyers that made them consider backing. Other manufacturers, such as BMW, fantasize with systems starring screens and with hardly any presence of physical buttons. This Euro NCAP requirement will put a certain brake on your plans. And it is that European legislation itself does not expressly prevent cars from dispensing with physical buttons. The Vehicle Homologation Regulation (EU 2019/2144) It forces manufacturers to meet certain standards in terms of usability and ergonomics of controls to avoid distractions, but does not specify that these standards pass through physical buttons. The obsession with the screens. On car manufacturers absolutely obsessed with converting their vehicles into tablets with wheels, We have been talking for five years. Already in 2019, manufacturers like Mazda They jumped against reducing the number of screens to avoid distractions and accidents, while the rest advanced towards more and more complex interfaces. Since then, it is more difficult to find a car that is not full of screens than one with a cleaner and more analog interior. The cars They are increasingly expensive and The trend is that they will continue to rise. Interestingly, consumers are every time more unhappy with new purchases. One of the main reasons has to do with the software. The manufacturers have found in it A new way of earning moneybut the bulk of users does not want to go beyond compatibility with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The road of the industry by 2026, date on which Euro NCAP will begin to penalize cars without tactile controls, aims to be similar to the current one. Many screens, a lot of software (with subscription options and other payment services), and little presence of physical controls. Image | Tesla In Xataka | What screen with Android Auto for your car buy. Purchase guide with better recommendations and tips

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