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Honda Prefers Physical Controls Over Touch Controls

Take a good look at the dashboard design of the Honda e. Take as much time as you need. Notice something strange? Even though it’s a high-tech electric vehicle with video cameras instead of mirrors and one too many screens, Honda understands that nothing compares to the intuitiveness of physical controls for the heater and air conditioning.
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Photo: Honda
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The Japanese automaker took notice of the preferred mode of interacting with the vehicle’s controls with the Civic. The compact model switched to physical buttons and dials for the infotainment system “at the request of customers,” and that’s exactly how it should’ve been from the start. As the saying goes - if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

Speaking to Autocar, the project leader of the Jazz explains that Honda intends “to minimize driver disruption” with this type of interface for the HVAC. “You had to look at the screen to operate the heater, so we changed it so one can operate it without looking, giving more confidence while driving,” said Takeki Tanaka.

Tesla and Volvo are the exact opposites to this school of thought, and the Volkswagen Group follows in their footsteps with the all-new Audi A3. The German automaker’s explanation is “more people are getting into touch functions with smartphones.” A shallow-minded explanation through and through, but there’s another reason to going digital over physical. Fewer parts translate to saving money, but the drawback to integrating the HVAC into the infotainment system is… wait for it… software!

Not that long ago, Volkswagen hadmassive software problemswith tens of thousands of ID.3 electric vehicles. The most recent generation of the Golf rolled out later than planned over software problems too, and yes, the Volkswagen Golf Mk. 8 has also switched to touch controls instead of the good ol’ button, switch, knob, and dial.

Looking at the bigger picture, voice control will have the last say in the cars of the future. The technology keeps betting and better, as proven by Mercedes-Benz with the A-Class. If you simply tell the MBUX infotainment system you’re cold, the trick electronics and the artificial intelligence of the MBUX will turn on the heater for you.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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