Buttons Are Back, and Storage Is King in Car Interiors

For much of the past decade, carmakers chased the same idea inside the cabin: replace as many switches as possible with a large touchscreen. That approach made dashboards look clean and futuristic, but many drivers found that adjusting the climate or the volume meant taking their eyes off the road to hunt through menus. Now the industry appears to be reversing course, and the buttons are coming back.

In a conversation with Nissan designer Hiren Patel, the discussion centers on how interiors are evolving. The headline takeaway from the interview is that physical controls are returning to the cabin, so that everyday functions can be reached by touch rather than by navigating a screen. Designers are treating screens as one tool among several, not the default answer to every control problem.

The other major theme is storage. As cars take on a bigger role as a place to work, charge devices, eat, and carry gear, the question of where things go has become a serious design priority rather than an afterthought. Cupboards, cubbies, and well-planned bins are increasingly part of how a cabin is judged, alongside its materials and its technology.

Taken together, the shift suggests a more practical attitude toward the car's interior. The newest cabins are less about showing off a single big display and more about making daily use simple, comfortable, and organized. Readers interested in the specifics of Nissan's design thinking should look to the full interview for Patel's own reasoning and examples.