Reduce Distractions China's Cars Are Getting Their Buttons Back

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SIMTOS (Seoul International Machine Tool Show)

For years, there was an unwritten rule in the People’s Republic of China that the fewer buttons and switches a car had, the smarter it was. The smartest models had none at all. A huge touchscreen in the center of the dashboard had to handle everything. Now, manufacturers are gradually bringing back the buttons.

"Carmakers are bringing back physical buttons" was a trending topic on Chinese social media in August, according to the Chinese automotive portal Qiche Gongshe. Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BYD, and Xiaomi have reportedly reintroduced physical controls for frequently used functions. Reporters have also spotted a similar shift in interior design at Audi in China. The brand is moving away from giant screens and back toward buttons, dials, and high-quality materials, writes the industry newspaper Zhongguo Qiche Bao.

Volkswagen has also decided that all new models starting in 2026 will come standard with physical controls for frequently used functions. BMW, as well as the Korean and Japanese brands, never did away with the buttons for the air conditioning and volume in the first place. And according to media reports, Geely, BYD, Changan, and Chery have gradually reintroduced buttons in their new models.

No Buttons, Lower Costs

The trend toward buttonless cockpits began with the launch of the Tesla Model S in China in 2012. At the time, its massive central display became—virtually overnight—the quintessential symbol of the smart car. China’s automakers followed suit. Screen size, the number of displays, and the elimination of buttons became the benchmarks by which the industry measured a car’s intelligence. Those who still installed buttons were sometimes labeled “old-fashioned” or “not smart enough.”

It was even cheaper to do away with the buttons. Touch-sensitive buttons cost only about half as much to manufacture as conventional switches, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna revealed in an interview in March, according to Qiche Gongshe. Tools for the switches, wiring harnesses, and endurance testing were no longer needed.

But now the tide is turning again. While touchscreen-only solutions may create a futuristic impression and lower hardware costs, they lack haptic feedback, argues Gu Jianmin, chief technology officer at Valeo China, in an interview with the Chinese automotive newspaper. Yet that is precisely what is useful for operating the air conditioning or radio by feel. Anyone who has turned the ventilation knob a thousand times can find it without looking. A menu item on the third level of a touchscreen, on the other hand, requires you to take your eyes off the road every single time.

Haptic Feedback Is Indispensable

No matter how good the software is or how large the screen is, the tactile feedback provided by ergonomically designed controls remains irreplaceable, along with the practiced movements stored in muscle memory, experts say. Proponents of physical buttons argue that replacing them with multi-level digital menus or voice controls that are not yet fully developed has also created new security risks.

Simulation tests conducted by the European testing organization Euro NCAP are frequently cited in this debate. To turn on the hazard lights at highway speeds in an emergency, drivers using a physical button took an average of 1.2 seconds, whereas those using a touchscreen took 4.7 seconds. This 3.5-second difference could increase the risk of a collision by 80 percent.

Buttons Reduce the Risk of Distraction

Similar findings were also reported in the U.S. According to a study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers took their eyes off the road for an average of eight seconds when using a touchscreen, compared to half a second when using physical buttons.

Another risk is that a frozen or malfunctioning screen could also cause the connected hazard lights or windshield wipers to stop working.

The government in Beijing now plans to mandate the use of buttons for certain functions. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has drafted a mandatory national standard with the lengthy title “Symbols for Controls, Indicators, and Tell-tales of Motor Vehicles,” reports the Chinese automotive portal Wangtongshe. Under this standard, 19 key driving functions are to be assigned their own physical controls, including turn signals, hazard lights, windshield wipers, and gear selection. According to the draft, the list also includes the horn, power windows, windshield de-icing, the emergency call system, and the power-off switch for the electric drive.

The standard is set to take effect in July 2027 for all newly manufactured vehicles. As with previous regulatory actions by Chinese lawmakers—such as those regarding recessed door handles—the focus here is clearly on safety.

The Coexistence of Buttons and Digital Controls

He sees the partial return of buttons “as the entry of smart cockpits into a new stage of development,” Yang Chao, head of interior design at Dongfeng’s Shanghai Design Center, told Zhongguo Qiche Bao. “A more rational phase has begun,” commented other industry observers.

However, no one expects a complete return to the analog world in the cockpit. Rather, as most analysts agree, buttons and digital controls will coexist in the future. Furthermore, artificial intelligence is once again rapidly changing the way people interact with vehicles. It’s still too early to say where this journey will ultimately lead. What is clear, however, is that fans of real buttons have weathered a long lean period.