50 votes

European crash tester says carmakers must bring back physical controls. In 2026, Euro NCAP points will be deducted if some controls aren't physical.

Posted by boxer_dogs_dance
Tags: european union, automotive industry, manufacturers, controls.physical, european new car assessment programme, safety ratings, automotive, cars, safety.road, author.jonathan m gitlin, source.ars technica, short read
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/03/carmakers-must-bring-back-buttons-to-get-good-safety-scores-in-europe/

Link information

This data is scraped automatically and may be incorrect.

Authors
Jonathan M. Gitlin
Published
Mar 4 2024
Word count
328 words

9 comments

  1. [4]
    Bet
    Link
    None of this sounds as if it is meant to serve the consumer.

    Digitizing more elements of the vehicle experience also means some carmakers can fix bugs or ship new features through over-the-air, internet updates, which can save drivers a visit to a repair shop. Looking to the future, marketers have also expressed interest in using in-car screens to serve revenue-generating advertising, especially as driver-assistances and autonomous driving features mature.

    None of this sounds as if it is meant to serve the consumer.

    46 votes
    1. ACEmat
      Link Parent
      I don't recall my 2003 Trailblazer ever needing a software update to turn on the AC.

      I don't recall my 2003 Trailblazer ever needing a software update to turn on the AC.

      27 votes
    2. [2]
      CptBluebear
      Link Parent
      Can you imagine? Ads on the screen while you're driving from your car? Middle of the night, people sleeping in the back, and the screen on the console turns on and starts blaring mountain dew ads...

      Can you imagine? Ads on the screen while you're driving from your car? Middle of the night, people sleeping in the back, and the screen on the console turns on and starts blaring mountain dew ads like the koolaid man busted in.

      Man.. these things make the future look bleak. Anything and everything will be monetized.

      16 votes
      1. Greg
        Link Parent
        One of the most frustrating things is that in many cases I'd happily pay whatever amount they're making in advertising and tracking for the option to have the product without it - TVs spring to...

        One of the most frustrating things is that in many cases I'd happily pay whatever amount they're making in advertising and tracking for the option to have the product without it - TVs spring to mind in particular here - but that's often not an option at all, and even where it is the companies take that willingness to pay 15-25% extra as a sign of "lost" profit. The company might expect $200 extra in data and ad revenue from you over the lifetime of a purchase, but the willingness to just cover that cost directly means you're classed as a less price sensitive consumer and they feel owed an extra $1,000 or more.

        7 votes
  2. infpossibilityspace
    Link
    I'm a huge fan of physical controls. Chosen well and laid out sensibly, they are faster and safer than digital. You can develop a muscle-memory for where things are, to the point you might not...

    I'm a huge fan of physical controls. Chosen well and laid out sensibly, they are faster and safer than digital. You can develop a muscle-memory for where things are, to the point you might not even need to look to change something.

    Digital can be good too, it's endlessly flexible and can display a lot more information, but it's not a cure-all and we need to remember we are fundamentally physical animals. Plus less software means fewer bugs and software updates.

    They mention a few things like indicators and lights, but I would add heating controls to that list too. I don't want to search for the demister if my windscreen fogs up or if I'm feeling a bit chilly. Recent Mercedes' have separated this into a separate bar under the touchscreen, which is a decent compromise.

    15 votes
  3. [2]
    imperialismus
    Link
    This is what I tell myself to cope with the fact that I have an 18 year old car: at least it has zero touchscreens and no software updates.

    This is what I tell myself to cope with the fact that I have an 18 year old car: at least it has zero touchscreens and no software updates.

    13 votes
    1. boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      My car is from 2003. I hope when I buy a new one it has physical controls

      My car is from 2003. I hope when I buy a new one it has physical controls

      4 votes
  5. kingofsnake
    Link
    Personally, I'd love to see car functions mappable to a variety of dash button layouts - story of like how midi controllers have auto map options for music software. Give me a variety of layouts,...

    Personally, I'd love to see car functions mappable to a variety of dash button layouts - story of like how midi controllers have auto map options for music software.

    Give me a variety of layouts, some super tight and we'll tested templates and let me customize the hell out of my own car

    6 votes