On any normal day, the Volkswagen Golf R is one of the hottest hot hatchbacks around, with 300 ponies sourced from its 2-liter TSI powerplant. Capable of doing a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in just 5.1 secs, the R is not a big drinker despite its spotiness thanks to tech such as the now common BlueMotion.
In terms of creature comforts and driver-oriented tech, it’s hard to beat the Mk7 Golf because the people’s car is also the most technologically advanced in the competitive C-segment. But Volkswagen engineers themselves aren’t completely happy with the finished product, which is why this year’s edition of the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas debuted the so-called Golf R Touch.
To sum it up as simple as possible, the Touch is basically a nerdy VW Golf R, equipped with a cockpit concept said to “solve future challenges.” Pretty big claim from a brand such as Volkswagen, but what’s that all about? Well, it’s a showcase of how human gestures can be recognized by the infotainment systems of tomorrow, further easing the relationship between the human front and the digital realm.
With the Golf R Touch concept vehicle, Volkswagen has demonstrated at CES how an infotainment system can incorporate gesture control as a next development step that is based on current thinking in the area of intuitive control. All it takes is a hand movement in the space in front of the infotainment display of the Golf to make human and machine interact as one.
In VW’s words, the brand is “extending touchscreen operation into a third dimension”
Despite the continually growing complexity and numbers of functions of modern in-vehicle infotainment system, this concept was intended to reduce driver distractions while attaining a maximum of personalization and intuitive operation in the car. In total, the Golf R Touch is equipped with 3 displays.
The first is the 12.8-inch high-resolution touchscreen of the infotainment system, followed by the Control Center (8.0-inch with touch feedback) arranged beneath it to control the vehicle, climate control and media functions, as well as an Active Info Display (the 12.3-inch digitalized instrument cluster).
Play the video below for a thorough walkthrough of Volkswagen's concept infotainment system.
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. Full profile
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