Posted on 04/17/2026 9:56:22 AM PDT by libh8er
Screens run new cars now. Whether we like it or not, every dashboard has a giant tablet in the middle and another screen where the gauges used to be. Some of them blend into the dash like they belong. Others stick out like someone glued an iPad to the top. Either way, they run almost everything in the cabin.
It wasn’t always like this. But like most tech trends, the shift happened eventually, and for reasons no one really asked for. Suddenly your radio, your AC, and even simple stuff like the headlight switch lives somewhere inside a maze of menus. One nasty bump on the road and your finger is hitting everything except what you meant to touch.
So how did we end up here? And can the industry backtrack? The story comes down to money, timing, and a long chain of decisions that snowballed.
The First Wave (Late 80s) The whole thing started as an engineering flex, not because of a need. Not a consumer request. Just tech nerds seeing what they could cram into a car.
The first in-car touchscreen showed up in 1986, of all brands, in a Buick. The Riviera’s Graphic Control Interface used a tiny CRT screen that controlled the radio, HVAC, and even showed basic diagnostics. It looked like a mini ATM and was way too early for its time.
Drivers didn’t get it. GM eventually backed off the idea, and touchscreens basically disappeared throughout the 1990s while underlying tech kept evolving.
Screens Become Luxury (2000s) Screens crept back in during the early 2000s. BMW made a splash with the 2001 7 Series and its first-generation iDrive system. It wasn’t a touchscreen (it used a knob) but it changed everything. Even though it was buggy, confusing, and slow, it pushed other automakers to jump in.
Back then, these screens were small and simple. They were more like a Palm Pilot, not an iPhone. And society felt the same way about tech. It mattered, but it wasn’t controlling our lives yet.
Volvo even used pop-up screens that hid inside the dash. It was a cool “only when you need it” kind of thing. A design philosophy you almost never see now.
Two big things pushed screens further:
GPS boom: By the mid-2000s, Garmin and TomTom units were stuck on windshields everywhere. Automakers saw that and decided they needed their own built-in systems.
Backup cameras: They popped up in 2001 and went from “weird luxury thing” to “must-have” as cars got bigger and visibility got worse.
But the biggest push was something simple: screens got dirt cheap. LED manufacturing exploded, prices fell, and suddenly it cost automakers less to install a screen than to design and engineer a whole row of physical buttons.
Then the 2008 recession hit. Everyone needed to cut costs. Buttons were more expensive. Screens were the easy answer.
iPhone, Tesla, and the Big Shift (2010s) Everything changed in the 2010s.
The Tesla Model S landed in 2012 with a giant 17-inch screen and barely any buttons. It looked futuristic and, more importantly for automakers, it was simple to build. Even brands that had no interest in EVs copied the screen-heavy vibe immediately.
At the same time, our phones were taking over our lives. Phones kept getting faster while car software lagged far behind. Most people hold onto a car for years, but swap phones every couple of seasons. Car tech just couldn’t keep up.
Then came Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in 2015, and everything snapped into place. People stopped caring about built-in car software as long as the screen mirrored their iPhone. Automakers took that as a green light to go even harder on touchscreens.
Backup cameras became legally required in 2018, officially locking in “every car must have a screen” as federal law.
The Overload Era (2020–Today) The pandemic years overlapped with massive EV investments, and software became the backbone of everything. Running it all through a touchscreen was simply cheaper.
Then automakers realized screens unlocked something else: subscriptions. If a feature lives inside software, they can charge monthly for it. Heated seats, extra power, fancy lighting…doesn’t matter. A screen makes that possible.
And when people started getting tired of screens? Automakers didn’t back off. They just made the screens bigger. Giant passenger screens. Full-width displays. Touch-controlled air vents. The BMW i7 has a rear-roof-mounted theater screen for some backseat entertainment now!
The Backlash and a Tiny Bit of Hope Drivers are pushing back. Surveys show people want buttons again. Big, simple, physical buttons you can use without looking. Some brands are listening. Hyundai added buttons back to the Ioniq 5. VW promised to backtrack. Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, Genesis, and others are keeping physical controls alive.
But don’t expect dashboards full of knobs and switches to suddenly reappear. Screens are cheaper. They’re not going away completely.
There’s one exception though: gauge clusters.
Some high-end brands are quietly moving back to analog gauges because they look special and give a car more character. Bugatti is one example. A physical speedometer still feels magical in a way a blank digital panel never will.
If change comes, it’ll be slow. Screens rule the modern car, and for now, the industry has no real reason to let go.
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I had a tech guy hack my dashboard screen so I can watch football games as I drive. But only when temporarily parked and off the road of course.
And they keep it for 3 days while parts are ordered. Then the take 2 days to fix it (plug in a sensor or new hose). So, you are afoot for a week.
Too bad it is electric. I pay that much I want to hear the horses.
$20 computers replaced for a few hundred or more.....🤔😵
“I pay that much I want to hear the horses.”
They build in fake gear shift snaps and fake sounds to cover that.
“I got used to my digital seiko watch, but they stopped making them, fashion said analog back in style.”
This comment is off topic- If you like watches - I suggest upper end mechanical watches- reason batteries/parts for electronic watches will be scarce in future.
I do not not wear a watch these days, however have quite a few - mostly mechanical
BS. Murphy’s Law, plus you cannot control environment, other cars, road conditions, pedestrians crossing in the wrong spot, bridge jumpers, etc...
You really should learn to use your turn signals to change lanes.
That was why the vehicle was fighting you.
“suddenly the panel turns orange and starts flashing and I’ll think I’m about ready to explode, and it will say that I’m low on windshield wiper fluid or some stupid nonsense like that. “
Silly post. That is not how it displays.
You can tell.
“The explosion in the price of cars was because of the air conditioner button and a normal radio?”
Maybe not. Power windows, door locks, power seats, you know, creature comforts, dominated the change. There were a number of little ego trippings that were placed into cars. I think the first one for aesthetic value was white sidewalls. They were a factory option for ford in 1934. And even before that electric car starters were introduced in 1911 and first appeared on production cars in 1912 so the people didn’t have to go out and crank the engine. But all of it was selling the beasts for convenience and the ego of showing it off by the buyer.
wy69
“Smart cars will advance to where they will not just monitor where you go but control where and when you can go somewhere.”
You betcha! This was the reason for Obama’s Cash-for-Clunkers.
We just got a new car, a BMW. It is essentially all electronic controls with a single knob in the center console. Layer after layer of options and settings, some which actually need to be changed from time to time.
The car came with one electronic key, and a credit card sized ‘service’ key which allows reduced access. They program your phone to act as your key. My wife’s iPhone worked with the car, my older Samsung didn’t; I had to buy an iPhone.
We have had 3 training sessions for the car; dealer says a couple more should cover things. I have also watched innumerable YouTube videos covering car operations. We basically have it set up for my wife (she’s the primary driver) and can get around in it.
I owned a couple BMWs over the years; a 1972 model 2002, a 1994 540i. These were driving machines; strong, nimble a joy to be on the road.
I despise this new car. I despise this iPhone. My wife likes the power and handling, and liked it better than any of many other cars we shopped. She says we will get the tech set up and like it.
My career was in computers, I’m not a Luddite or afraid of the tech; I probably am behind the curve some now that I’ve been retired a while. Tech now isn’t about making life easier and doing things better; it seems to be about endless and unneeded options and alternative ways of doing things. To me, it’s no improvement; this car is going to get us killed.
You betcha! This was the reason for Obama’s Cash-for-Clunkers.
You know it!
actually that is exactly how it displays. with a loud “dong” to boot
More cost-effective. Much greater flexibility. Engineering no-brainer.
A friend bought a new Toyota hybrid. Initially, he loved it. But it has so many tech features he found problematic he began to not like it. Then, while pulling out into traffic he accidentally touched the brake while accelerating. The car bricked halfway across the road and traffic in both directions did an emergency stop to avoid hitting him. The dash turned red and told him he had the brake and accelerator on at the same time. This “safety” feature almost got him into an accident.
I put the spare tire on my 2017 Ford Expedition, and it didn’t have a working pressure sensor. The truck notified my, blocking all other data. I reset the alarm. It brought back the alarm every few minutes. Why did it override my reset every time? It’s like driving with a hysterical person beside me. I had to have all the tires dismounted and the pressure sensor batteries replaced. What a waste of time and money.
I recently inherited a 2010 Honda CRV with 44k miles. I was besieged by people who had newer cars wanting to purchase it. “Why? You have a new car.” This is an encapsulation of the reasons. “Yes, but we’d rather have something without software and a three hundred horsepower 1.5liter that is going to fail sooner rather than later.”
Why i keep my 10y/o Tuscon 2x3 inch backup and info screen. Everything id pushbutton to work the car. Center console and gear auto shift, ca p able of handshifting. My daughter had a 24 Kona. I literally cannot drive it. Hyundai just offered me a seven year $297 / mo for first 2 years then nothing.all major repairs dealer covered.
I think screens will disappear suddenly when auto insurance companies and the NHTSA have a decade’s worth of research to show how they make cars far more dangerous due to all the distractions for the driver.
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