Touchscreens don't belong in cars. Many states are banning texting while driving, but auto manufacturers are adding basically the same distracting user experience in their cars and calling it a feature.
Actually (and annoyingly) in many vehicles the controls are disabled while the vehicle is in motion. This is very inconvenient when you have a passenger trying to operate the console (such as input destination or do other actions) but the car won't let you because you're not completely stopped.
mmm, a fix for that (not perfect) could be to activate the screen when the passenger airbag is on (since most cars now have a sensor in the seat). Sure the driver can still play with the screen but if you have a passenger it shouldn't be off. Alternatively the screen could be setup so the viewing angle changes when there is a passenger (I believe that's possible but I might be wrong.)
GOTTA COMPETE WITH THE IPAD! TOUCH AND SWIPE! PINCH AND ZOOM YOUR FAVORITE FM STATIONS! POST ON FACEBOOK WITH A THREE FINGER TWIRL GESTURE!
One car manufacturer even uses a slogan like "for today's connected youth". It's frightening.
The touchscreen in my 7 year old Prius does fine. Of course most of the touch-screen functionality (volume, AC on/off, phone call/end) also exists on the steering wheel to reduce the time you're on the screen.