Mercedes is Returning to Physical Controls Going Forward
Mercedes-Benz jumped on the “touch-sensitive-everything” bandwagon like many other automakers, but it’s now second-guessing that approach. The company’s head of software, Magus Ostberg, recently said it would add back physical controls, noting that, “the data shows us physical buttons are better.”
The automaker will start with the GLC and CLA Shooting Brake EVs, giving them a new steering wheel with “old-school” buttons and wheels. Interstingly, the new GLC has Mercedes’ largest display to date, covering almost the entire dash.
Mercedes plans to make the new wheel standard going forward and said it would be able to retrofit existing cars with no issue. Ostberg said the new approach gives better control while sticking with the brand’s forward-looking tech strategy.
Mercedes collected data that showed physical controls to be extremely important to drivers in some age groups. “So having that balance between physical buttons and the touch is extremely important for us. We’re completely data-driven, seeing that what is actually something that is used high-frequency, the data shows us the physical buttons are better, and that’s why we put them back.”
The company may look to other steering wheel designs in other markets. It’s able to do this sort of analysis thanks to its software-defined vehicles, which collect data on nearly every part of the vehicle and driver behavior.
[Images: Mercedes-Benz]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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I think manufacturers were all taken by surprise by Tesla's success, and landed on "gee, look at those fancy cool touchscreens!" as the reason why consumers responded so strongly to the brand. Problem is, they were wrong. What drew people to Tesla was the novel electric tech, the styling, the performance, and the no-dealer buying system. In fact, a lot of Tesla buyers weren't fond at all of the touchscreen nonsense but bought the car anyway because of the way they drove, and the fact that there wasn't much credible competition until a couple of years ago. And - lo and behold! - when better competition did arrive, Tesla's market share dropped dramatically. And the EVs that have seen the most market share gain - think GM / Hyundai - feature much more conventional user interfaces than, say, the Mercedes EQ series, all of which bombed.
But from a legacy automaker's perspective, loading a conventionally powered car with a bunch of touchscreens was probably a cheaper, easier, and quicker way to tap into Tesla cachet without having to invest billions in a competitive electric car, and when it came to electrics, many went way, way over the top with weird styling and touchscreen silliness (again, looking at you, Mercedes and BMW).
because European regulations are coming