This isn’t about safety. With the automotive business any change is ALWAYS about cost. In this case they’ve found out the cost of hiring pajeet coders to make and maintain their shitty software is far more than the money saved on cheap touchscreens. Software in a modern car is a difficult enough task but when you have to incorporate a human element through some snazzy UI which allows even the most dimwitted driver (or woman) to operate everything they want, things get exponential Italy more challenging. There’s no way pajeet coders can handle this.

There is also the aspect of the auto business using cheap shitty touchscreens which routinely fail and having to pay mechanics warranty time to change them out.

Mercedes is a cheap cheap CHEAP car maker. How do I know? I spent nearly 10 years in the automotive service industry and more than a few in Mercedes. I have first hand experience. Very little of Mercedes technology is original. Most of it is borrowed or bought from other manufacturers. (Porsche and Cadillac actually innovate a lot.) And most modern Mercedes vehicles begin to completely fall apart after only four years - magically when the warranty runs out. And yes they plan for and design this.

Fuck Mercedes. I’m betting whatever solution they come up with is somehow more idiotic than touchscreens.

Hopefully we can go back to as few computers as possible in cars. Why should my steering wheel, gas pedal, brake pedal, gear shift and emergency brake ALL be overglorified Playstation controllers not physically connected to anything? What happens when the computer bugs out or gets hacked? FFS door locks and latches are being computerized too. I know it is acclimation for when they start locking people in their cars and driving them to the police for wrongthink or into walls at 140mph because you refused to use an ashkenasty troon's pronouns, but still - what is the official explanation?

As he went away, the fox remarked 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.'

"We have reinvented the interaction with the car!"

Daimler-CTO Sajjad Khan "Wir haben die Interaktion mit dem Auto neu erfunden"

They never did figure out how to make decent software.

Turns out, putting in a giant screen ("Hyperscreen") does not magically a good UI make.

I've said it before, they pass laws against using cell phones while driving, then put a frigging computer monitor on the dash. That makes no damn sense.

I had to replace my touchscreen in my Toyota because the stock one died. I spent $150 on ebay for android and associated parts VS the near $900 Toyota wanted. I would loved to get a button version if I could. I went from a 4 inch to 9 inch screen but still. I would pay for buttons.