While it could be argued that screens have become more necessary to show more information and provide more entertainment value – look at the Ioniq 5 – Hyundai has realized that a purely digital approach is not necessarily the best, and improvements are coming as early as next year.
Hyundai
Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967 by Chung Ju-yung, 20 years after the birth of the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company. The automotive marque’s first model was the Cortina, birthed with the help of Ford in 1968, while its first self-developed car arrived the year after as the Pony. Since then, the company has found success with affordable cars and has consistently become known for reliability and value. Nowadays, its ventures vary from combustion, hybrid, all-electric, and hydrogen mobility solutions to robotics.
- Founded
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29 December 1967
- Founder
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Chung Ju-yung
- Headquarters
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Seoul, South Korea
- Owned By
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Hyundai Motor Group
- Current CEO
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Jae-Hoon Chang
According to Autocar, Hyundai is about to launch its next generation of interiors and instead of going hard on touch controls, the buttons are staying in everything from the Palisade to the Sonata.
The Need For Physical Controls
The news comes from Simon Loasby, Vice President of Design, who spoke with Autocar at the Seoul Motor Show. Rather than bigger displays and more capacitive controls, it may feature smaller displays with less complex systems and more analog controls. “It is all about the philosophy of calmness,” he said. “The technology is there, but it is not shouting at us, but the architecture is keeping the driving experience safe.”
Loasby said the team is focused not just on building interiors that are comfortable and welcoming, but ensuring that they’re safe – something Hyundai has been prioritizing despite touchscreens for years.
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Keeping as focused as possible on driving at all times is the goal, “So our philosophy is to keep the eyes on the road and keep your hands on the wheel, and then you could very quickly look at what your frequently-used interactions are,” said Loasby. “There aren’t many… but you want them to stay as physical buttons because those are things I want to adjust without looking away.”
This implies that scrollers and buttons may still find a home on the wheels, albeit likely not for all functions. Similarly, BMW recently said it’s easing up on screen size in its upcoming models.
High-Performance N Vehicles Are A Big Motivator For This Move
Numerous studies have proven that touchscreens are distracting and dangerous, but there’s another drawback noted by Loasby: “When it comes to N, we put more on the steering wheel, because if I’ve got gloves on, I can’t use the touchscreen.”
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So while the high-tech era of Pleos systems will include large screens, there will still be physical controls, and for high-performance vehicles like the upcoming Ioniq 6 N, buttons for boost and other high-performance driving modes will be crucial.
It’s not just a challenge for Hyundai to figure out the right mix. This is something every automaker needs to figure out, especially if proposed new laws take effect.
Source: Autocar
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