Hyundai, a company that has been just as guilty in the past of spreading the touchscreen scourge in cars as any other, has been course-correcting lately, putting more buttons and knobs into its cars. The reason isn’t surprising: people hate touchscreens, at least for certain essential controls like HVAC systems, and they told Hyundai so.

The reason why Hyundai–like other automakers–went down the all-touchscreen path was initially due to the “wow” factor of Telsa’s large multimedia systems. The Korean automaker even went as far as putting two touchscreens on the steering wheel of a concept back in 2019. Ultimately, though, Hyundai changed its mind and is now slowly reversing course.

Hyundai admits it made a mistake by replacing too many physical controls with touchscreen buttons. The automaker’s US design chief says American drivers hated the trend, so future Hyundais will feature more old-school switches. However, the firm thinks attitudes may change when cars are equipped with more self-driving technology.

H yundai is backtracking on the idea of moving as many controls to touchscreens as possible. Korea JoongAng Daily reported on a visit to the Hyundai Design North America's (HDNA)

Modern Hyundai cars and SUVs have some of the nicest interiors in their price ranges, with interesting designs, relatively upscale materials, and loads of tech. The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe is probably the best example,