Volkswagen to Ditch Touch Sliders Entirely, Return to Physical Buttons

Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer recently criticized in-car touch-sensitive sliders publicly, stating, "I don't understand why users would prefer this type of interaction." Since the launch of the Golf Mk8 and ID.3 in 2019, Volkswagen significantly reduced physical buttons, replacing them with touch-sensitive climate control sliders and steering wheel controls—a move that drew widespread user complaints. The company has now pledged to fully return to physical buttons in its new models. The upcoming ID. Polo will feature a row of physical buttons, knobs, and conventional steering wheel controls, and door panels will revert to individual switches for all four windows. Volkswagen executives admitted that their previous "iPhone-style" minimalist design misjudged user preferences, and all future ID series models will gradually eliminate touch sliders. While it remains unclear whether the updated ID.3 and ID.4 models this year will remove the sliders, the next-generation vehicles will completely abandon this design.