VW brings back buttons and 80s retro gauges to electric cars as it deems removing physical controls a mistake

The interior of VW electric vehicles is set to drastically change with the advent of its new cockpit design that is heavily influenced by the way its cars looked in the golden 1980s.

From Golf 1-style gauge clusters to bringing back physical knobs, the ergonomics and comforting retro feel of the interior are certain to set VW EVs apart from the streamlined, minimalistic, buttonless EV interior crowd of which Tesla vehicles are a prime example.

Volkswagen now deems removing knobs and other physical function controls from electric cars a mistake. Study after study has confirmed that physical buttons and the muscle memory they create are a safer alternative to touchscreens when humans are driving, but there is also the general retro feel trend, and a lot of electronic device makers are now bringing back knobs and clicky buttons.

VW already teased that it is bringing back things you can press with the concept ID. 2all budget EV, and the idea will materialize as soon as its spiritual successor - the ID. Polo - which will be VW's cheapest electric car when it launches later this year.

The retro instrument cluster spread out on a 10-inch display looks as if it has been taken directly out of the legendary VW Golf 1, with a retro digital clock to boot. Then there is a 13-inch infotainment display with a bar of physical button controls below it, though the cassette tape visualization looks a bit overkill.

The steering wheel is awash with buttons, too, as is the door panel, so the new ID. Polo will certainly warm the heart of those car enthusiasts who prefer physical controls and a more retro feel to the soulless touchscreens and tacky LED lighting that have inundated EV interiors.

Tesla led the way in removing all sorts of tactile feel from its cars, arguing that the clicky stuff just means more things that can break. In reality, it saved a pretty penny from moving all controls to a touchscreen and has been axing buttons and switches left and right before regulations forced it to bring back things like turn signal stalks. There is now even a new Ctrl-Bar device for the Model Y or Model 3 that resurrects the tactile experience of physical buttons for those not entirely convinced by the ergonomics of a Tesla touchscreen.