June 19, 201510 yr Volvo is taking a different approach than its competitors in terms of technology. Speaking at the Automotive News Europe Congress, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said the company will using simplicity as a selling point. He used three numbers - 55, 37, and 8. 55 and 37 represent he number of buttons available in recently launched models from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. 8 represents the number of buttons to control the main functions of the system in the new Volvo XC90. “No one wants buttons hidden down in the dark areas around the seats,” said Samuelsson. Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscription Required) View full article
June 19, 201510 yr Simplicity will always win customers but to simplistic and you will loose them. Sounds like a company that has taken a page from Tesla, minimal buttons, more menus on the graphic screen.
June 20, 201510 yr “No one wants buttons hidden down in the dark areas around the seats,” said Samuelsson. Really… I drive my daily driver 99.9% of the time. Why would I want or need power seat buttons anywhere but out of sight where I can feel/operate them the 0.1% of the time I MIGHT want to? Even the car in the driveway that has regular drivers between 5'3" and 6'0" has buttons "down in the dark" for the seat, and it works excellent. That rant aside, I do think less buttons is a noble goal, but all that's going to mean is more HITS per button to get the function you want. Let's face it; Volvo isn't taking NAV & cruise & A/C out of their cars.
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