The Evolution of Hyundai’s Interior Design: A Blend of Physical Buttons and Compact Screens

Hyundai is set to introduce its next-generation cabin design for models launching in 2026. The company plans to retain physical buttons within its vehicle interiors to enhance safety and minimize driver distraction, according to Autocar.

This move by the South Korean manufacturer comes after Volkswagen also announced a return to physical controls due to user complaints about touch-screen-dependent designs causing driver distraction.

Simon Loasby, Vice President of Design at Hyundai, suggested that this new design direction could also incorporate smaller infotainment screens and more user-friendly touch-screen software to improve safety.

“Our vision for the next generation of interiors is to keep the driver’s eyes on the road as much as possible. With this philosophy, we quickly realized that the center screen is a distraction… So, frequently used functions such as climate control and volume should remain as physical buttons for easy operation without looking,” said Loasby.

Hyundai’s Design Director, Luc Donckerwolke, stated that finding the right screen size to display information while allowing drivers to focus on the road will be a crucial aspect of the next-generation cabin design.

“We have to make sure that the driver doesn’t have to go into submenus to do simple things that used to be a button. If it’s just on the screen, you take your hand off the wheel, you take your eyes off the road – that’s a no-go in safety design,” said Donckerwolke.

More broadly, Donckerwolke foresees a return to mechanical details and a reduction in screens in one or two generations of cars. Hyundai is also researching the interior layout for its upcoming high-performance N-branded models, according to Loasby.

“When it comes to N cars, we put more on the steering wheel because if I’m wearing gloves, I can’t use a touch screen,” Loasby added.

TT (Tuoitrethudo)