WSJ Tech News Briefing · Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Automakers acknowledge the demand for simpler car interiors but face challenges in catering to this niche market, as most customers still desire advanced technology. Safety regulations also necessitate certain screen-based features, making a complete return to analog controls difficult.
“Because we talked to dealers and we talked to automakers and, you know, this isn't the majority of vehicle customers necessarily. So they aren't eager to put out a bunch of bare-bones cars without any features that might only appeal to a niche customer base.”
“And also a lot of this is required safety technology. So cars have to have backup cameras, which means they have to have some kind of a screen so you can see what the camera is projecting. So it is hard. And you can't really get rid of all of them because of the requirements.”
“Yeah, it's interesting. It's mixed things from automakers, but they're definitely on the radar. So the automakers and the dealers are well aware that there's this segment of society.”