Volkswagen unbuttons with Golf R Touch

VOLKSWAGEN has previewed the cabin of its future vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with its Golf R Touch concept that swaps the cockpit’s buttons for screens and gesture control.

The German car-maker said its goal was to develop an interior that reduced driver distraction but added more functions. The result is a cabin in which every switch, button and dial on the car’s dashboard centre console for infotainment, car settings and climate control have been removed and replaced by three large LCD displays.

Completely integrated into the car’s dashboard centre console is a 12.8-inch high-definition touchscreen, below it is an 8.0-inch display, while in front of the driver is 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

With a ‘swish’ of the hand in front of the lower display volume can be increased, another will tell the climate control to reduce the temperature.

Gesture control is also used to open and close the sunroof in the Golf R Touch with a by waving in front of a sensor in the headliner.

Volkswagen is not the first car-maker to attempt to reduce distraction by swapping cabin buttons for screens. Due to go on sale in 2015 Volvo’s XC90 features a large tablet-style screen, while Tesla’s recently arrived Model S also features a massive display for media, climate and other functions.

This year’s CES in Las Vegas has seen Volkswagen display a fleet of vehicles showcasing new technology including autonomous driving systems, app and smart phone integration and intuitive vehicle operation.

Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai have also had an impressive presence at this year’s show which has become increasing popular with car companies.

According to the show’s organisers the space allocated to car-makers at CES has doubled in the past five years to 15,300 square metres.