- Toyota may add buttons back to its best-selling SUV if customers demand it.
- The sixth generation Toyota RAV4 was launched with a redesigned cabin and fewer buttons.
- Toyota originally designed the RAV4 with all interior controls accessible through the display.
Like most modern cars, Toyota removed as many buttons and switches as possible when designing the sixth-generation RAV4. The automaker moved functions like fan speed to the screen while keeping physical controls for temperature and volume, but Toyota could add more buttons if customers demand.
In an interview with Australia To driveRAV4 chief engineer Yoshinori Futongane revealed that the automaker is evaluating consumer reactions to the SUV’s new cabin. He also acknowledged that, within the automaker, “it’s an open topic at this time” whether “physical switches will have to be reinstated for some things.”
“If necessary, yes, we will,” he told the publication.
Toyota originally designed the RAV4 so that all of its major interior controls were accessible only through the screen. The automaker wanted to keep physical switches in the cabin to a minimum, which caused “a lot of drama” as the team worked to determine which would remain physical and which would become digital.
Photo by: Toyota
Demand for buttons is increasing
Over the past few years, consumers have been pleading with automakers to put physical buttons back in cars. Some are listening, like Volkswagen, which has faced intense backlash over the use of capacitive controls and switches.
Even in China, consumers want buttons. Futongane-san said To drive Toyota tried to fit as many controls into the screen as possible, but consumers in the Asian country “didn’t want it. They wanted knobs and switches.” Hence, the automaker is starting to add physical switches to other cars offered there.
Kia, Audi and others are all committed to keeping the button. Mazda, famous for its rotary-controlled infotainment displays, went in the opposite direction with its new CX-5. The automaker removed nearly every button in the cabin, preferring that drivers use voice and steering-wheel-mounted controls.
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Source: Toyota
Motor1’s Opinion: Automakers want to save money by removing as many buttons as possible inside today’s cars, but they know consumers are sensitive to those changes. Although the RAV4 may lack all the controls a buyer wants, if enough people ask for it, Toyota might listen to them.
