The Audi Q8 concept revealed Monday in Detroit previews a near future in which the brand’s Multi Media Interface (MMI) infotainment system—currently anchored by a rotary knob surrounded by shortcut buttons—will be reduced solely to touchscreen displays. Three dash-mounted buttons will remain for non-infotainment-related functions. The design of the interface may change somewhat from what is in the Q8 concept, but the touch-only MMI setup will launch later this year in a production vehicle, likely the new A8 flagship, Alexander Kendl, the Q8 concept’s project manger, confirmed.
BMW, too, has recently added touch functions to its screens, which used to be operated solely via a dial arrangement similar to Audi’s. Both systems originally drew inspiration from the functionality of a computer mouse, but now automakers are emulating smartphones with touchscreens that can also read gestures such as swipe and pinch movements, in part because this allows better integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
At Audi, the MMI control dial to select functions will go away entirely. Instead, a 12.3-inch touchscreen will control more detailed aspects such as audio and navigation. The more essential aspects of those features can also be selected with buttons on the steering wheel. The screen sits in the middle of a glossy black strip that runs the width of the dash. “The goal was to integrate the display into the interior,” said Adis Ragipovic, an interior design specialist who worked on the Q8 concept.
A smaller touch display controlling climate settings sits on an angle just in front of the selector lever for the eight-speed automatic transmission. Sensors in the seat detect whether a front-seat passenger is in the vehicle, and if so, the touchscreen displays separate climate control settings for the passenger side. That function is not displayed when the driver is traveling alone.
Audio volume is adjusted by swiping across the bottom of the screen, and two touch-button icons for scanning audio forward and backward are found to the right side of that. Lighting functions are controlled by another screen.
The remaining three buttons in Audi’s MMI controls will be reduced to one for the hazard lights (a physical button may be required by regulation in some markets) and two others that Audi officials declined to name. Audi’s engineers and designers decided to go the nearly buttonless route after testing similar methods on the Prologue concept, which made its debut at the 2014 Los Angeles auto show. We remain skeptical about the new system’s proficiency in scrolling long lists, a task that a rotary knob does well.
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