Hyundai vows physical controls
Hyundai North America product planning chief Olabisi Boyle told the New York Auto Show the company will “always” keep physical buttons and knobs for volume and climate control. (thedrive.com) The public remark was framed as reassurance that basic usability will remain alongside growing digital interfaces in future models. (thedrive.com)
Hyundai says its future cars will keep real knobs and buttons for volume and climate control, even as dashboards add bigger screens. (thedrive.com) Olabisi Boyle, senior vice president for product planning and mobility strategy at Hyundai Motor North America, made the pledge at the 2026 New York Auto Show in comments to The Drive. She said Hyundai will “always” keep physical controls for those basic functions. (thedrive.com) The remark was not limited to one model. The Drive said Boyle tied the approach to future Hyundai vehicles, including a body-on-frame midsize pickup the company plans to launch by 2030. (autos.yahoo.com) Hyundai has been moving in that direction for more than a year. In April 2025, design vice president Simon Loasby told Autocar the brand’s next-generation interiors, due from 2026, would keep physical buttons and could even use smaller, simpler touchscreens. (autocar.co.uk) Hyundai’s design team has framed the issue as one of driver attention. Loasby told Autocar the goal is to keep the driver’s eyes on the road as much as possible, while design chief SangYup Lee told Top Gear in November 2024 that retaining buttons for fan speed, air conditioning, volume and temperature is “a safety issue.” (autocar.co.uk) (topgear.com) Safety raters in Europe are pushing in the same direction. Euro New Car Assessment Programme said its 2026 test protocols will reward easier-to-use controls, and MotorTrend reported the program will give credit for separate physical controls for basic functions to reduce eyes-off-road time. (carwow.co.uk) (motortrend.com) Hyundai is not abandoning screens. Hyundai Motor Group’s ccNC infotainment system still centers the cabin around a digital display, but the company’s own how-to material shows “Hard Keys/Buttons” as part of the interface. (hyundaimotorgroup.com) The company is making the bet while its United States lineup is growing and selling in record numbers. Hyundai Motor America reported 836,802 total sales in 2024, up 4 percent from 2023, and said Palisade set a new yearly sales record. (stocktitan.net) For buyers, Hyundai’s message is narrower than a full retreat from digital interiors. The screen stays, but the jobs drivers use most often — turning the cabin temperature up, changing fan speed, and lowering the volume — are set to stay on hardware you can find by touch. (thedrive.com)
