By Tim Harris · June 8, 2026

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There’s a quiet tragedy happening inside modern cars.

And no — I’m not talking about electrification.

I’m talking about buttons.

Real buttons.
Switches.
Levers.
Knobs that click with authority.

The mechanical things your fingers interact with every time you drive.

Somehow, in the last decade, the automotive industry decided that the solution to everything was:

Let’s start with my personal favorite offender.

At some point, carbon fiber went from race car engineering to luxury car décor.

And now it’s everywhere.

Want carbon fiber trim on your dashboard?

That’ll be $3,000 to $7,000, please.

For what?

A thin decorative layer glued to a plastic panel.

The irony is thick.

Carbon fiber was invented for lightweight structural strength.
Formula 1 tubs.
McLaren chassis.
Ferrari race cars.

Now it’s being used as expensive wallpaper for dashboards.

Even worse…

Manufacturers are putting carbon fiber trim in cars that are otherwise made almost entirely from aluminum or steel.

Nothing looks more out of place than carbon fiber trim inside a car with brushed aluminum structure.

It’s like wearing a carbon fiber Rolex.

It misses the point.

If your car actually is carbon fiber — say a McLaren — fine.

But in most cars?

It’s just Instagram bait.

Once upon a time, interior design was judged by switchgear quality.

BMW in the 90s? Fantastic switches.
Audi in the early 2000s? Perfect tactile knobs.
Porsche? Still the gold standard for physical controls.

Every button had:

You didn’t need to look at it.

Your fingers knew where it was.

Now?

Everything is a screen buried in menus.

Want to adjust the fan speed?

Tap a screen.

Miss it.

Tap again.

Look down.

Swipe.

Menu.

Submenu.

Meanwhile the road you were driving on just turned.

Manufacturers say they replaced buttons with haptic controls because it looks cleaner.

Let’s translate that.

Haptics are cheaper.

A flat panel with vibration motors costs less than a panel full of real switches.

But haptics are terrible in practice.

Your finger touches a smooth surface.

Nothing happens.

You push harder.

It buzzes.

Was that a press?

Did it register?

Try again.

Meanwhile the car is bouncing down the road.

Real buttons work because your finger can feel them without looking.

That’s the entire point.

Haptics solve a problem that didn’t exist.

Speaking of bad ideas…

Let’s talk about auto start-stop.

The system that shuts off your engine every time you stop at a light.

You roll up.

The engine dies.

The light turns green.

You wait.

Then the engine wakes back up.

Then you go.

Drivers hate it.

Everyone turns it off.

Every time.

And here’s the kicker…

The government recently stopped requiring it on new vehicles.

Which means manufacturers are finally starting to remove it.

One of the most universally disliked features in modern cars might finally be disappearing.

Good.

Now remove the button too.

Here’s the frustrating part.

There are incredible materials that would look modern, timeless, and authentic.

But they’re rarely used.

Instead we get glossy carbon fiber.

Here are a few alternatives I’d love to see more of.

Not fake aluminum.

Not silver paint.

Real brushed aluminum.

Audi used to do this beautifully.

It ages well and actually matches the metal structures used in many cars.

Lightweight. Matte. Industrial.

Perfect for performance cars.

And it wouldn’t scream “aftermarket catalog.”

Magnesium is incredibly light and has a unique texture.

Used correctly, it looks purposeful.

Very motorsport.

Some manufacturers have experimented with flax fiber composites.

They look organic and modern at the same time.

Think carbon fiber without the boy-racer vibe.

Before you roll your eyes…

Look at modern Scandinavian furniture.

Matte wood with minimal grain looks incredible when done right.

Porsche has quietly used wood trim in some of their best interiors.

The trick is matte finishes, not glossy yacht varnish.

The best cars feel mechanical.

Every control communicates something.

The steering wheel talks to you.

The pedals push back.

The shifter moves through gates.

And the interior controls should feel the same way.

A car shouldn’t feel like an iPad on wheels.

We already have iPads.

They’re great.

But when you’re driving, your hands want:

You want the machine to respond to you.

Not vibrate at you.

Credit where it’s due.

Some manufacturers are waking up.

Porsche recently walked back some of their worst haptic experiments and returned to more physical controls.

Even Volkswagen admitted their touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons were a disaster.

When your customers complain loudly enough, reality eventually wins.

If I were designing the perfect modern sports car interior today, it would look like this:

Everything would feel like it belonged in a precision instrument.

Not a smartphone.

Because the truth is…

Driving is a physical experience.

It deserves physical controls.

Modern cars are faster, safer, and more capable than anything we’ve ever had.

But somewhere along the way, manufacturers forgot something important:

The things you touch matter.

And right now?

Most of them feel like a touchscreen at an airport check-in kiosk.

We can do better.

Much better.

— Tim Harris

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