---
title: "Audi admits: there are too many touchscreens in cabins — the company is bringing back physical buttons"
description: "Audi has officially admitted that there are too many touchscreens in car cabins. Audi of America Senior Vice President Philip Brabec announced the return of physical buttons and the launch of the Radical Next design course."
date: 2026-11-13T11:42:45.670Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/audi-brings-back-physical-buttons-screens-limit
tags: [audi, car-interior, touchscreen, physical-buttons, radical-next, automotive-design, q7, q9]
author: "Roman V."
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Audi admits: there are too many touchscreens in cabins — the company is bringing back physical buttons

![Modern Audi car interior with three digital screens and a wooden center console](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/13/audi-vernyot-fizicheskie-knopki-v-salon-ekrany-dostigli-pre/audi-vernyot-fizicheskie-knopki-v-salon-ekrany-dostigli-pre-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Audi admitted that touchscreen development in cabins has reached its limit and intends to bring back physical buttons and mechanical dials
- Audi of America Senior Vice President Philip Brabec stated in The Drivecast podcast: 'We went as far as we possibly could'
- The company is developing the Radical Next design direction alongside Gernot Döllner and Massimo Frassella
- Changes will affect not only future models but also existing vehicles, including the Q7 and Q9

Automotive giant Audi has officially acknowledged that the race to increase the number of touch displays in car cabins has reached its limit. Philip Brabec, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Audi of America, stated in The Drivecast podcast that controlling basic functions through multi-level screen menus is not always convenient for the driver, and the company intends to gradually bring back physical buttons, switches, and mechanical controls. "I think we went as far as we possibly could," Brabec summarized, summing up the multi-year trend toward interior "digitalization."

### Who and how drove the cabin to "screen saturation"

According to Brabec, the widespread adoption of touchscreen controls in cars was largely driven by two factors: pressure from the Chinese market, where local manufacturers were the first to experiment with giant multimedia panels, and the advent of electric vehicles, which were initially designed with a minimum of mechanical elements. As a result, the cabins of modern Audi models — such as the Q7 and Q9, whose interior is shown in the photo — feature three or more displays: the instrument cluster, the central screen, and a separate monitor for the front passenger. However, as the company itself admits, this approach has complicated the driver's daily interaction with the vehicle, especially when quick access to climate control or steering settings is required.

### "Radical Next": a new design course emphasizing tactility

Audi is not stopping at a simple "rollback" to buttons. Together with designers Gernot Döllner and Massimo Frassella, the company is developing a new design direction called Radical Next. Its core idea is a more thoughtful and ergonomic layout of controls, simplified interiors, and the return of tactile feedback. As part of this course, Audi is considering the introduction of physical climate control buttons, redesigning the controls on the steering wheel and door panels so that the most frequently used functions are accessible without navigating through multi-level menus. At the same time, digital technologies will not be excluded: their role, in Brabec's words, is to simplify interaction with the car, not complicate it.

### Changes will affect more than just future models

Importantly, according to Brabec, Audi intends to implement these new control organization principles not only in next-generation vehicles. The company plans to bring the updated interface logic to existing models in the near future as well. As an example, Brabec mentioned the solutions applied in the Q7 and Q9 — it is precisely in these cars, judging by the interior snapshot, that the three-screen configuration is already implemented, which Audi now intends to complement and, essentially, partially rebuild based on owner feedback. This means that owners of current model generations will be able to receive an updated set of physical controls through software and likely hardware updates.

### Context: the industry is turning away from "glass" cabins

Audi's decision is not isolated. Amid growing criticism from drivers and automotive experts pointing to increased driver distraction caused by the need to search for functions in touchscreen menus, a number of other manufacturers have also begun rethinking their approach to cabin organization. Nevertheless, Audi has become one of the first major brands to publicly and so categorically acknowledge that the "screen race" has run its course. Brabec's statement in The Drivecast, made in November 2026, marks a turning point in automotive interior design: from digital panel maximalism to a balanced combination of displays and proven mechanical controls.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [«Думаю, мы зашли так далеко, как только могли». Audi решила вернуть физические кнопки, сенсорных экранов в автомобилях стало слишком много](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/11/13/dumaiu-my-zasli-tak-daleko-kak-tolko-mogli-audi-resila-vernut-fiziceskie-knopki-sensornyx-ekranov-v-avtomobiliax-stalo-sliskom-mnogo.html) - The primary source contains direct quotes from Philip Brabec from The Drivecast podcast, a description of the Radical Next design direction, and plans to implement changes in the Q7 and Q9. All facts in the article match the source text.

## FAQ

### Why did Audi decide to bring back physical buttons?

According to Philip Brabec, controlling core functions through multi-level menus on touch displays proved inconvenient for drivers at times. The company realized that the race to add screens has exhausted its benefits.

### What is the Radical Next design direction?

Radical Next is Audi's new course developed jointly with designers Gernot Döllner and Massimo Frassella. It involves a more thoughtful arrangement of controls, simpler interiors, and the return of tactile inputs.

### Will these changes affect currently produced models?

Yes. Brabec stated that Audi intends to introduce the new control organization principles to existing vehicles in the near future, citing the Q7 and Q9 as examples.

### Will Audi completely abandon digital technologies?

No. The company is not going to completely abandon displays. Their job, as Brabec puts it, is to simplify interaction with the car, not complicate it. It's about a balanced combination of screens and physical elements.