Why Every New <b>Car</b> Seems To Have A Giant Screen Now

Why Every New Car Seems To Have A Giant Screen Now That big screen on your dashboard isn't just for looks—here's why automakers are replacing buttons with increasingly large displays. Walk into a new-car showroom, and there's a good chance the dashboard's main highlight is not the steering wheel, the instrument cluster, or even the climate control panel. It's the screen. Modern cars increasingly have enormous displays stretching across the dashboard, replacing buttons, knobs, and traditional gauges with something that looks more like a tablet than a piece of automotive equipment. But why did automakers suddenly decide bigger is better? Motor101 Welcome to Motor101, our series dedicated to answering the internet's biggest automotive questions. From the origins of iconic designs to the engineering breakthroughs that shaped the world's greatest cars, we uncover the stories behind the vehicles you love. Cars Started Borrowing From Smartphones The biggest reason for the touchscreen takeover is simple: drivers got used to touchscreens everywhere else. Smartphones, tablets and computers changed what people expect from technology. Instead of learning dozens of dedicated controls, drivers increasingly expect menus, icons and customizable interfaces. Automakers noticed. A touchscreen can combine navigation, audio, phone connectivity, vehicle settings and other functions into one interface. Instead of designing a separate physical control for every feature, the manufacturer can put multiple functions behind software. That also means the interface can change after the car leaves the factory. A physical button is essentially fixed; software is not. That's particularly important as cars become increasingly connected and software-defined. One Screen Can Replace A Lot Of Hardware The big screen trend is about more than just drivers liking high-tech gadgets. Giant displays sit at the crossroads of consumer electronics trends, software development, cost savings, connectivity and automakers' desire to make new cars feel more advanced. And