Audi is quietly redrawing the in-car tech map, pairing larger, more capable displays with the kind of physical buttons and rollers many drivers thought were gone for good. Across five key models, the brand is adding back tactile controls while still leaning into advanced software, signaling a deliberate move away from fully touch-only cabins and toward a more balanced, safety-focused interface.
1. Audi A5: Shift to Physical Controls in a Tech-Heavy Cockpit
Audi’s shift to physical controls in key models is most visible in the latest A5, where the brand is threading a careful line between big-screen tech and old-school tactility. Reporting on the 2026 Audi A5 e-hybrid notes that many modern models are “going hard on display tech, and reducing physical switchgear,” yet Audi is now explicitly rowing back from that trend by adding some physical controls to its newest models. The company is reintroducing hardware elements such as rotary controllers and dedicated buttons to handle core tasks that had migrated into layered touchscreen menus, a change that directly addresses driver frustration with purely digital dashboards. In the A5, that means the central display still dominates the visual experience, but the driver no longer has to rely solely on taps and swipes to adjust volume, navigate menus, or confirm key settings.
This recalibration is not happening in a vacuum. A detailed review of the 2026 Audi A5 e-hybrid points out that while the car leans into a large infotainment screen and sophisticated software, the broader context is that Audi adds some physical controls to its newest models to counter the usability drawbacks of all-digital cabins. For drivers, the stakes are straightforward: physical rollers and buttons can be located by feel, which reduces the time eyes spend off the road and helps keep complex plug-in hybrid systems manageable in everyday traffic. The A5 becomes a test bed for how far Audi can push connected services, navigation overlays, and hybrid drive modes while still giving the driver simple, tactile ways to interact with them. In practice, that means the A5’s interior is less about flashy minimalism and more about making sure the tech is actually usable at 110 km/h on a wet motorway.
2. Audi Q5: Enhanced Usability Across the Lineup
Enhanced usability across the lineup is the next piece of Audi’s strategy, and the Q5 sits at the center of that effort. The brand has confirmed that it is bringing back physical rollers to adjust volume and scroll through digital menus in several of its latest cars, and the Q5 is one of the core models benefiting from this rethink. Where earlier generations leaned heavily on touch-sensitive sliders and flat capacitive surfaces, the updated Q5 now folds in more conventional rotary controls and buttons for high-frequency tasks such as audio adjustment and quick access to driver-assistance settings. This is part of a broader move in which Audi adds some physical controls to its newest models, a shift that directly targets the pain points owners have raised about accidental touches and imprecise gestures on bumpy roads.
The implications for everyday driving are significant. By restoring tactile feedback in the Q5, Audi is effectively acknowledging that a family SUV must prioritize clarity and ease of use over minimalist aesthetics. The decision aligns with a wider industry recognition that touch-only climate sliders and haptic panels can distract drivers at precisely the moments when they need to focus most. In the Q5, the combination of a large central display with physical rollers and buttons creates a layered interface: the screen handles navigation, connectivity, and deeper configuration, while the hardware controls manage the functions drivers reach for every few minutes. That balance is particularly important in a model that often serves as a primary family car, where quick, eyes-up adjustments to temperature or volume can make the difference between a calm commute and a stressful one. For Audi, the Q5 demonstrates that usability is now a design priority on par with screen size and processing power.
3. Audi A6 and A6 e-tron: Tech Integration with Tactile Features
Tech integration with tactile features comes into sharp focus in the A6 and A6 e-tron, where Audi is blending its most advanced cabin software with a renewed emphasis on physical interaction. The company has confirmed that the A5, the Q5, the A6, the A6 e-tron, and the Q6 e-tron will all have physical rollers to adjust volume and scroll through the digital screen’s menus, a clear sign that the brand sees hardware controls as essential companions to its latest infotainment platforms. In the A6 and A6 e-tron, that means drivers can still enjoy expansive digital instrument clusters and high-resolution central displays, but they no longer have to rely solely on touch inputs to manage media, navigation lists, or key system settings. Instead, the rollers provide a precise, incremental way to move through options, which is especially valuable when the car is in motion.
This approach is particularly important for the A6 e-tron, which is expected to showcase Audi’s electric-era software stack and connected services. By pairing that software with physical controls, Audi is signaling that even its most futuristic sedans must remain intuitive to operate. The stakes are high: executive buyers expect both cutting-edge tech and effortless usability, and any perception that the interface is fiddly or distracting can undermine the appeal of an otherwise sophisticated car. Integrating tactile features into the A6 family also helps future-proof the cabin design, since hardware rollers and buttons can be mapped to new functions as over-the-air updates add capabilities. In effect, Audi is using the A6 and A6 e-tron to prove that big tech and physical buttons are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary tools for keeping complex vehicles simple to live with.
4. Audi Q6 e-tron: Industry-Wide Reversal on Touchscreens
The Audi Q6 e-tron embodies an industry-wide reversal on touchscreens, as carmakers reassess the rush toward flat, buttonless dashboards. Across the sector, brands are acknowledging that fully digital interfaces can compromise safety and usability, and Audi’s decision to equip the Q6 e-tron with physical rollers and buttons fits squarely within that shift. Detailed analysis of why car brands are finally switching back to buttons highlights how regulators, safety advocates, and drivers have pushed back against touch-only climate and audio controls, arguing that they demand too much visual attention. In response, Audi is using the Q6 e-tron to showcase a more balanced approach, where expansive displays coexist with hardware controls that can be located by muscle memory rather than sight.
This change is not just about ergonomics, it is also about how drivers experience advanced electric platforms. The Q6 e-tron is expected to carry a dense layer of software features, from energy management and route planning to driver-assistance systems that operate at motorway speeds. By anchoring key interactions to physical controls, Audi reduces the cognitive load on drivers who are already adapting to new EV behaviors such as regenerative braking and charging strategies. The broader industry context, captured in reporting on why car brands are returning to buttons, underscores that this is not a nostalgic move but a pragmatic response to real-world feedback and safety data. For Audi, the Q6 e-tron becomes a flagship example of how to integrate big tech without turning the cabin into a tablet on wheels, and it signals to competitors that premium EVs can be both high-tech and human-friendly.
5. Audi A6 e-tron and A5: Future of Cabin Design Trends
The future of cabin design trends at Audi is crystallizing around the A6 e-tron and A5, where the brand is openly reverting to physical controls while still investing heavily in digital interfaces. A detailed press statement confirms that the German luxury automaker is reverting to physical buttons and rotary controls in the interior of five new models, and that it is discontinuing certain touch-sensitive interfaces in those cars. This shift is framed as a deliberate move back to hardware for core functions, signaling a broader change in how Audi thinks about human-machine interaction. The decision is particularly striking given that many recent models across the industry have been marketed on the promise of “clean” dashboards with almost no visible buttons, a trend that now appears to be hitting practical limits.
For stakeholders, the implications extend beyond Audi’s own lineup. When the German brand publicly commits to physical buttons and rotary controls in five new models, it sends a signal to suppliers, regulators, and rival manufacturers that the market is recalibrating. Physical rollers to adjust volume and scroll through digital menus are no longer seen as relics, but as essential tools for making complex software accessible. That perspective is echoed in coverage noting that physical rollers will be brought back to Audi’s latest cars, and in broader commentary that Audi adds some physical controls to its newest models as part of a safety and usability push. Even outside the brand, enthusiasts tracking stories such as the end of a JZX100 Chaser project have highlighted how Audi is moving in this direction, treating the return of buttons as a meaningful design pivot rather than a minor tweak. Taken together, the A6 e-tron and A5 show where Audi believes premium cabins are heading: large, bright screens framed by just enough physical hardware to keep the technology grounded in the real world.
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