As Light up As the Korean automaker continues to incorporate more technology into its models, it says it will keep physical buttons in the cabins, especially for the most common tasks.
In an interview with AutocarJochen Paesen, head of interior design at Kia, said: “There are certain functions that you have to find right away and you don’t want to mess up, so we keep them physical.”
Mr. Paesen added that some brands “just get through digital and it works for them,” but according to Kia’s global market research, “people have very basic needs” and that “if you have to go three steps down (in a menu) to a feature, that’s bad for everyone.”
Kia is still committed to adding more features to its future models and, like others in the industry, is still trying to solve the puzzle: “How does the car go from a tool that you have to learn how to use to an actual aid that makes tasks require fewer steps?”
The chief interior designer says that while there is a “novelty component” to some of the technologies and features introduced by Chinese manufacturers, he is willing to give them credit for “bringing ideas to market” and figuring out whether they are actually useful to drivers because “you can’t learn from what you haven’t done.”
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Currently, Kia models have physical buttons on the steering wheel spokes, in the center tunnel and for some or all climate control functions. Most also have a set of capacitive button combinations for the touchscreen infotainment system, but also a physical switch or dial for volume and turning the audio system on and off.
Some manufacturers, particularly the Volkswagen Group, have received a lot of negative criticism for removing almost all physical controls in favor of touchscreens and capacitive buttons.
In 2023, Volkswagen brand boss Thomas Schäfer admitted that the capacitive controls on the steering wheel and the unlit capacitive sliders on the dashboard had “definitely done a lot of damage” to the brand, and promised to reintroduce the physical buttons on vehicles when they receive facelifts or new generations.
Back in 2020, Takeki Tanaka, project manager for the fourth-generation Honda Jazz/Fit, admitted: “We switched (heating and air conditioning controls) from touchscreen to selector (for the new Jazz/Fit) because we received customer feedback that intuitive operation was difficult.”
“You had to look at the screen to change the position of the heater. So we changed it so that you can operate it without looking, which provides more safety when driving.”
MORE: Discover the Kia showroom
