Volkswagen backtracks on cabin tech with electric car preview

volkswagen has simplified the dash and switches on its upcoming ID.7 electric car to respond to criticism of the next-generation Golf.

The latest Golf ushered in a radical dashboard design that relied heavily on touch-sensitive displays and controls, but the tactile buttons on the steering wheel, the lack of lighting under the air conditioning and volume sliders, and the design of the touchscreen software were criticized by owners, the media and even VW’s new global boss, Thomas Schafer.

“We’re going to bring back the button steering wheel,” Schafer said in a tech backflip previously reported by Handle. “That’s what customers want from VW.”

The ID.7, unveiled in very light camouflage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the US, appears to be Volkswagen’s first production car to address these complaints.

Volkswagen said the ID.7 will have a 15-inch infotainment screen as standard, but the air conditioning controls will now be at the bottom of the screen all the time, rather than requiring drivers to press a touch button to open. the software. menu to change fan speed or temperature.

Touch control sliders under the display, used for air volume and temperature, will also get the lighting requested by many Golf customers.

The touch-sensitive switches on the steering wheel and infotainment screen on the Golf are also likely to be removed or revised, though they still appear on the ID.7 for now.

Volkswagen said at CES that the ID.7 will also get a new augmented reality head-up display.

The “relevant areas” are all on the dash and steering wheel, though there are no details on ‘haptic’ (industry talk of touch sensitive) switches elsewhere in the cabin.

The conservatively styled ID.7 sedan is similar in size to the Volkswagen Passat and will be on sale abroad before the end of the year, though Handle has previously reported that there are no plans to Volkswagen will bring it to Australia.