Why are we putting touch screens in cars while ignoring the fact that touchscreens are inherently more distracting. We're having the wrong conversations about car interfaces.
It doesn't necessarily have to support touch, but once you've dedicated all that space and cost to putting in a screen, making it a touchscreen becomes a lot more appealing.
And who gets to decide whether a change is "improving the user experience"?
Hint: It's usually not the user in this scenario.
I'm just fine with having a car where I get to choose whether I like how it works before I buy it and then it stays that way and doesn't give me any unwelcome surprises. I doubt I am alone in this. Magically self-updating cars are about as good an idea as magically self-updating operating systems, with the added wrinkle that if something is broken or confusing after the update, people could actually die.
I’d still like my car stereo, climate, beams, indicators and wipers controls to remain physical and be mapped on whatever new software. I will still change station and volume, I will still signal left and right turns (with the possible exception of BMW owners), I will still do a tactile search of my AC, find the big knob, rotate it a notch or 2, without keeping eyes off the road.