BMW is blaming Gen Z for its decision to move away from physical buttons.
Physical buttons have been disappearing from new cars, especially electric vehicles. Instead, we’re getting big screens in an otherwise blank and soulless cabin. And car enthusiasts have been fighting back.
After years of backlash, many automakers have decided to switch back to physical buttons. Volkswagen Design Chief Andreas Mindt even said: “It’s a car, not a phone.” While nobody is getting rid of the infotainment screen popularized by Tesla, they are bringing back more personality, more buttons and knobs.
However, not BMW.
Its lineup includes vehicles like the BMW iX3 that have no physical buttons. Everything is in the screen, even simple stuff like climate control. This is inspired by its Neue Klasse design thing it’s doing, which is quite modern and almost concept-like in appearance. I like it, aside from the screen thing.
Even worse, the lack of buttons isn’t even to save money or look modern.
I guess teens and young adults really want screens?
Instead, BMW is blaming young drivers. In an interview with CarExpert, Vikram Pawah, CEO of BMW Group Australia, claimed that Gen Z prefers the screen. From iPad kids to infotainment adults.
A cursed timeline.
Well, Pawah is claiming that voice and touch control is a “generational” thing: “You would see that a lot of the younger generation, maybe 45 or below, they’re tapped into these technologies at a faster pace, using voice, using touch.”
Bro, don’t bring me into it. Millennials, too? Be real here.
He explained that these “young” buyers want things done quickly and efficiently. They are used to multitasking. Is this a reference to, like, scrolling TikTok while checking email or something? There’s a difference between mindless doomscrolling and car design. I don’t think I know many millennials who want a blank cabin with just a center screen. Then again, I only know car enthusiasts really.
I just asked my friend, who doesn’t care about vehicles. She said: “I don’t know if I have a preference, to be honest.” Then she started texting me about other stuff. Really didn’t care.
I know she doesn’t represent every millennial car buyer ever. But I feel like this claim that younger drivers want screens is just not fully true. Car enthusiasts want buttons and non-car people don’t really care. So… Who is pushing for the screens?
I guess it’s one of those “times are changing” things. Maybe I sound like “old man yells at cloud” with this kinda thing. Millennials were bummed when CDs were replaced with iPods, then we ended up loving the convenience. Boomers got mad at social media existing and now they’re obsessed with Facebook. Technology is always changing. Sometimes we don’t like where it‘s going, but maybe we gotta embrace it.
“I think you need to understand why that change is happening, and once you understand that it’s easier to comprehend what will happen in the future as well,” Pawah said. “A car is not a stand-alone piece. It’s part of what’s happening around you in society.”
But I don’t know, it really doesn’t feel like we need to totally ditch physical buttons. Right? And anyway, who cares what millennials and Gen Z want. These generations are generally broke. I’m just kidding, but seriously… Buttons.
What cars still have physical buttons?
Mazda and Toyota deserve a nod here. The Mazda CX-50 keeps a full row of physical HVAC knobs and pairs its touchscreen with a rotary controller near the shifter, so drivers aren’t smudging the display just to change the temperature. Toyota’s Corolla has stuck with dedicated knobs for temperature, fan speed, and airflow direction on most trims, right alongside the screen rather than buried inside it.
And then there’s the Jeep Wrangler, which barely acknowledges the touchscreen trend exists. The 2026 model packs 19 controls onto the steering wheel alone, plus separate knobs for volume, blower, and temperature.
Subaru brought physical knobs back for the 2026 Outback after years of vertical touchscreen-only climate controls, and the reaction from owners has been overwhelmingly positive.
Hyundai has made a similar pivot with the refreshed Santa Cruz and the redesigned Palisade, both of which now pair their big screens with real knobs and shortcut buttons.
Volkswagen made headlines by promising to restore physical controls for its five most important functions across the whole lineup.
Even Mercedes-Benz, the brand behind the screen-heavy Hyperscreen, has confirmed it’s shifting toward a hybrid dashboard with more rockers, rollers, and buttons built into a new steering wheel design.
And Tesla, of all companies, brought back a physical turn signal stalk on the latest Model Y after years of burying it in the touchscreen.
