Simon Loasby, head of Hyundai’s design center in Korea, is asking the right questions. As automakers begin to reorient interiors away from expansive screens and endless menus, designers and engineers must invent what comes next. For Hyundai, that’s a future that the Concept Three previews.
In a recent interview with Auto Express, Loasby questioned the need for touchscreens when consumers still prefer buttons for most vehicle functions, such as volume, seat heating, HVAC, and media playback. He said:
‘Then you start questioning, well, why do we need a screen? Not the other way around, not why do we need buttons? Why do we have a screen, and can’t we do that in another way?’
Loasby added that customers are also “frustrated at having to look and go through layers, so how do we simplify?” Hyundai’s Concept Three isn’t devoid of all screens. There are a few clustered around the wheel, but they’re small and intentional, with a row of buttons on the dash accompanying them.
Photo by: Hyundai
It’s a clean, simple setup that looks safe, something Loasby told us was important for the brand and its commitment to buttons at the launch of the Ioniq 9 at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year.
He told us about the new EV:
‘We want to keep [our customers] safe, and keeping them safe means they should always be looking at what’s going on and not looking away. So, we made sure that all of the regular use, frequent use buttons are physical buttons.’
After Touchscreens
Hyundai isn’t the only automaker thinking about the future. Cadillac’s most recent concept lacks the central touchscreen that’s a staple in modern vehicles. There’s a screen along the dashboard and another in the steering wheel, which the automaker is working to develop into a real product.
Cadillac Elevated Velocity Concept
Photo by: Cadillac
Voice controls are another avenue automakers are still exploring, hoping artificial intelligence can improve the quality, and there’s a big focus on turning the entire windshield into an augmented-reality head-up display.
If consumers want buttons back, that gives automakers the freedom to reinvent the interior once again, and it looks distraction-free, as it should be.
