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Did you know that the first touchscreen in a car was created in 1986? That’s right, the Buick Riviera had technology so advanced that today it’s a trend. It sounds unreal that almost 40 years ago, a car had such technology.
The Buick Riviera was a car that directly competed with Ford’s Thunderbird. Therefore, it aimed to bring the highest comfort to its passengers and driver, since Ford was known for offering these features to its consumers.
After its debut in 1963, during the eighth generation of the car—specifically in 1986—the Buick Riviera impressed the world with a 9-inch touchscreen. Although it did not have all the functionalities that screens have today, it did provide the comfort of selecting and making changes with a single touch.
This screen displayed menus in green color, which could be switched thanks to 6 buttons located on the edges.
Each button changed the information displayed, showing functions related to:
- trip panel
- air conditioning
- information panel
- vehicle diagnostics
- radio.
Decline of the Buick Riviera Screen
This revolutionary screen was called the Graphic Control Center, but shortly after it disappeared from the scene. This was because people at that time were not used to handling this type of panels. It was argued that it distracted the driver too much, causing loss of road vision while trying to operate it.
It wasn’t until recently, with the use of touch cell phones and other advances, that people felt comfortable with this kind of interfaces. And only now have screens become popular and very necessary for the comfort of a new car. But the technology itself was actually invented with the famous Buick Riviera car.
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