KIA decides to keep physical keys, design chief reveals the reason

At a time when many car manufacturers are moving all controls directly to touchscreen infotainment systems, Kia is taking a different approach.

The Korean brand has confirmed that it has no plans to remove physical keys from its cars, not even in its latest models like the EV2, EV4 and EV5, which come equipped with large digital displays.
The brand's philosophy was explained by Jochen Paesen, head of interior design at Kia.

"There are some functions that you need to find immediately and you can't make mistakes, so we're leaving the physical buttons. Forcing drivers to make three or more taps on the screen to activate an everyday function is not good for anyone."

Kia isn't the only one grappling with the issue of physical buttons. Mercedes, Ferrari, Volkswagen, Skoda and many others have admitted they've made mistakes in the past and announced at least a partial return to traditional controls../Indeksonline/