BMW Champions Physical Buttons as Ferrari’s New Interior Confirms Haptic Feedback’s Comeback

In the ongoing automotive industry debate over "touchscreens versus physical buttons," BMW has once again firmly aligned itself with the physical-button camp—and received unexpected support from luxury brand Ferrari. Recently, Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of Design at BMW Group, publicly stated that the interior design of Ferrari’s newly unveiled Luce model offers compelling evidence in this debate: user demand for tactile controls and haptic feedback is making a strong comeback. The Ferrari Luce’s interior was co-designed by Jony Ive, former Chief Design Officer at Apple, and renowned industrial designer Marc Newson. Although both are celebrated for their work in consumer electronics, they deliberately avoided fully “screenifying” the car’s cabin, instead consciously retaining several physical control elements. This approach closely aligns with BMW’s long-standing philosophy: even within digitalized cockpits, intuitive and reliable physical controls remain essential. Van Hooydonk emphasized that BMW has always believed drivers should be able to perform basic operations—such as adjusting climate temperature, volume, or navigating menus—quickly through touch alone, without needing visual confirmation or complex voice commands. “User feedback is very clear—they want more physical buttons,” he asserted, a sentiment echoed by numerous owners. In recent years, many new vehicles, in pursuit of minimalist aesthetics, have buried frequently used functions deep within multi-layer touchscreen menus, resulting in cumbersome operation, increased driver distraction, and widespread user frustration. While some brands have attempted compromise solutions between full touchscreens and traditional buttons, van Hooydonk argues that current “partial retention” strategies still fall short of meeting real user needs. With top-tier manufacturers like Ferrari now also prioritizing tactile interaction, the industry may be reaching a turning point—one that seeks to rebalance technological sophistication with practical usability in the era of intelligent mobility, enabling drivers to “look less, feel accurately, and operate swiftly.”