[wvenable]

It's a good argument except the basic controls needed for a car haven't changed in decades: We all need the same climate controls, media controls, etc.

For deep car settings, those have been screen controls for over a decade now and that makes sense.

[advisedwang]

Automakers are constantly doing functionality-neutral tweaks. There's fashion in how cars looks, and they want every year's model to feel new. Climate control is constant, but one generation has a knob, the next has a slider, the next adds an extra zone, the next changes fan speed from two buttons to a single "up-down" button and so on.

[wvenable]

Of course, cars are always evolving, that's why a new model comes out every single year. Ironically, the screen elements of cars always become the most dated part. I don't feel there is nearly as much fashion in the touch screen as the physical elements.

Tesla is the exception that proves the rule; its fashion was its unique minimalist touch screen style compared to other vehicles. Car companies copying that design are making it passé.