‘Feedback From Customers:’ Audi Tells Us Why Some Physical Controls Are Back

Audi’s stunning Concept C not only previews a future electric sports car but also introduces a new design language and a more ergonomic interior layout. We’ve been promised a return to proper controls by reverting to physical buttons and switches for frequently used functions. Although the performance EV isn’t due until later this decade, Ingolstadt is already making amends by addressing some interior niggles that have plagued recent models.

In a surprising but welcome announcement, Audi is ditching the touch sliders mounted on the steering wheels of five cars. The A5, Q5, A6, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron are now receiving physical rollers to adjust volume and scroll through the digital screen’s menus. It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless.

This change is unexpected, given that all five cars are still fresh products. In fact, the latest-generation A6 was introduced only a few months ago in both sedan and wagon body styles. The A5, Q5, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron aren’t much older, having all debuted last year.

So why the rush to bring back physical rollers? We asked Audi what triggered this change, and the company admitted it was responding to customer requests for conventional controls. In an email to Motor1, spokesperson Michael Crusius explained what prompted the steering wheel updates:

Photo by: Audi

Photo by: Audi

Photos by: Audi

‘The reason for the change is feedback from customers who have increasingly requested operation with physical controls.’

Audi recently pledged to improve its interiors in other ways as well. A few months ago, during a candid interview with Motor1 Germany, the company acknowledged that interior quality had slipped in recent years but promised a return to form. Oscar da Silva Martins, Head of Product and Technology Communication, stated:

‘We have certainly been better in terms of quality in the past, but we will get there again.’

Photo by: Audi

Photo by: Audi

Photos by: Audi

Audi isn’t alone. Many automakers have gone overboard with cost-cutting, resorting to cheaper materials while relying heavily on supersized screens and finicky touch controls. Even worse, some cars require you to use the touchscreen for most functions after largely eliminating separate controls. The Concept C aims to bring back the glory days of interiors with anodized aluminum physical controls and what the company describes as the unmistakable “Audi click.”

It’s a future that can’t come soon enough. Hopefully, elements of the Concept C’s simplified but elevated interior will spread across the entire Audi lineup sooner rather than later. The two-seater targa EV is slated to arrive around 2027, so we should only expect more significant changes for the rest of the range closer to the decade’s end.

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