Volvo is rethinking the touchscreen-heavy interiors of its modern cars, with the company planning to bring more physical controls back to future models.
Speaking during a Q&A session following Volvo’s Strategy Update 2026, returning design boss Thomas Ingenlath said the brand wants to find a better balance between physical buttons and digital controls. The move comes after customers and journalists have increasingly criticised interiors that rely heavily on screens.
Ingenlath made it clear that Volvo isn’t abandoning touchscreens. Instead, the company wants to use them where they make the most sense, while giving frequently used functions dedicated physical controls.
‘We are not going away from touchscreens. We will use the touchscreen for what the touchscreen is good at. Any function that you display all the time on the screen should not be on the screen. For that reason, not everything is done well as a touchscreen. Use the touchscreen for what it’s good for. That’s why we are reintroducing a couple of more buttons than what we have in today’s cars,” said Ingenlath.
This new development comes as Volvo prepares for a major product expansion. The company plans to launch 13 new models globally by the end of 2030, and not all of them will be SUVs.
