VW chief criticised retractable car door handles

Volkswagen Brand CEO Thomas Schäfer said that car buyers want familiar solutions and cited door handles as an example.

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In an interview with Deutsche Welle at the IAA 2025 motor show in Munich, Schäfer said that people expect a certain level of recognisability from a car and brand and that functions should be simple. According to him, retractable handles look spectacular, but they are terribly inconvenient to use. That's why VW cars remain with conventional handles. By the way, the new concepts ID. Cross and ID. Polo, shown in Munich, are opened with the usual movement.

In the same conversation, the head of VW again touched on the transition to electric cars. He believes it is the best choice, but doubts whether the growth in demand and infrastructure will be enough to completely abandon internal combustion engines in Europe by 2035. Schäfer allowed that such a transition could happen later.

Source: DW