I don’t understand the touch screens in cars, I would expect them to be more expensive than physical buttons. Are there that many people who think it’s fancy that it’s a selling feature?

Think of it this way. Cars already need an LCD panel for infotainment these days. New cars that lack them get passed over. At the very least, people want CarPlay and Android Auto for maps and music.

Secondly, physical switches and gauges haven’t been dumb analog or electric circuits for years. They all communicate with the car’s onboard computers.

So, if the car already needs a touch screen, and all the garages and switches are digital behind the front end anyway, it’s going to be cheaper to make the gauges out of software than plastic.

And with display panels getting cheaper and cheaper, you can slap a bigger panel in the car, and still save money on manufacturing.

I’m happy with a Bluetooth connection to the stereo. I have maps on my phone.

Fuck carplay/android auto in the ear.

I hate getting a rental car and I just want my music, but it tries to hijack and download my whole phone.

I want to get in, connect my phone and go. Not 20 minutes wrestling it for control.

Digital displays are fine. It’s just a display. But controls should be manual (buttons, dials, etc) that can be operated with eyes on road.

Download your phone?