September 12 – According to Motor1, Volkswagen has faced heavy criticism in recent years for “over-innovating” and making certain designs worse, such as cramming nearly all functions into oversized touchscreens and replacing physical climate and volume controls with touch sliders. In response, the company said it has taken customer feedback seriously and promised a return to traditional designs — including bringing back real mechanical door handles.
Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, speaking at the Munich Motor Show, admitted that while hidden pop-out door handles may look sleek, the user experience is “very poor.”
Many automakers adopted hidden door handles to improve aerodynamics and extend EV range. However, Schäfer emphasized that Volkswagen now prioritizes customer experience: “Volkswagen will give users what they want. We’ve done extensive research and carefully gathered feedback from customers, dealers, and the media.”
Back in 2022, Schäfer had already announced the company would abandon steering wheel touch buttons in favor of traditional physical controls.
