BMW is blaming Gen Z for its decision to move away from physical buttons.<\/p>\n
Physical buttons have been disappearing from new cars, especially electric vehicles. Instead, we\u2019re getting big screens in an otherwise blank and soulless cabin. And car enthusiasts have been fighting back.<\/p>\n
After years of backlash<\/a>, many automakers have decided to switch back to physical buttons. Volkswagen Design Chief Andreas Mindt even said: \u201cIt\u2019s a car, not a phone.\u201d While nobody is getting rid of the infotainment screen popularized by Tesla, they are bringing back more personality, more buttons and knobs.<\/p>\n However, not BMW.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s doing, which is quite modern and almost concept-like in appearance. I like it, aside from the screen thing.<\/p>\n Even worse, the lack of buttons isn\u2019t even to save money or look modern.<\/p>\n Instead, BMW is blaming young drivers. In an interview with CarExpert<\/a>, Vikram Pawah, CEO of BMW Group Australia, claimed that Gen Z prefers the screen. From iPad kids to infotainment adults.<\/p>\n A cursed timeline.<\/p>\n Well, Pawah is claiming that voice and touch control is a \u201cgenerational\u201d thing: \u201cYou would see that a lot of the younger generation, maybe 45 or below, they\u2019re tapped into these technologies at a faster pace, using voice, using touch.\u201d<\/p>\n Bro, don\u2019t bring me into it. Millennials, too? Be real here.<\/p>\n He explained that these \u201cyoung\u201d 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\u2019s a difference between mindless doomscrolling and car design. I don\u2019t think I know many millennials who want a blank cabin with just a center screen. Then again, I only know car enthusiasts really.<\/p>\n I just asked my friend, who doesn\u2019t care about vehicles. She said: \u201cI don\u2019t know if I have a preference, to be honest.\u201d Then she started texting me about other stuff. Really didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n I know she doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t really care. So\u2026 Who is pushing for the screens?<\/p>\n I guess it\u2019s one of those \u201ctimes are changing\u201d things. Maybe I sound like \u201cold man yells at cloud\u201d 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\u2019re obsessed with Facebook. Technology is always changing. Sometimes we don\u2019t like where it\u2018s going, but maybe we gotta embrace it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you need to understand why that change is happening, and once you understand that it\u2019s easier to comprehend what will happen in the future as well,\u201d Pawah said. \u201cA car is not a stand-alone piece. It\u2019s part of what\u2019s happening around you in society.\u201d<\/p>\n But I don\u2019t know, it really doesn\u2019t 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\u2019m just kidding, but seriously\u2026 Buttons.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\nI guess teens and young adults really want screens?<\/h2>\n
What cars still have physical buttons?<\/h2>\n