--- title: "VW Says It’s Done With Cheap Plastic Interiors, Will Switch to Nice Fabrics" date: "2024-09-27" modified: "2024-09-27" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/vw-says-its-done-with-cheap-plastic-interiors-will-switch-to-nice-fabrics" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Volkswagen News" tags: - "GTI" - "Hatchback" - "Volkswagen" --- # VW Says It’s Done With Cheap Plastic Interiors, Will Switch to Nice Fabrics ![The view from the driver's seat of a Mk7 Golf GTI.]() *The view from the driver's seat of a Mk7 Golf GTI. \Volkswagen, The Drive\* Sit in a [Mk7 Volkswagen GTI ]()and you'll be hard-pressed to find a disagreeable surface, material, switch, or button. It's one of the most perfectly laid-out cabins I've ever sat in. Simple, no-nonsense, and high quality. However, get into a [Mk8 GTI]() or any other new Volkswagen product, and you'll be disappointed to learn that VW trashed what worked so well in the previous generation, in favor of a confounding touchscreen and cheaper materials. Thankfully, the German automaker seems to have recognized the error of its ways and wants to address these shortcomings moving forward. "When you open the door on a Bentley, it’s big and bold architecture, very strong luxury. When you open the door of a Volkswagen it needs to be simple and usable, and not overly decorated," VW's design chief Christian Schreiber recently told [*Top Gear.*]() "This should be the same once you use the car; it’s meant to work with you and not make things more complicated. It needs to also play with all the touchpoints you have in life." That's music to the ears of anyone who's been forced to use the frustrating window switches in a [Volkswagen ID.4](). There are only two—one for the left window and another for the right—plus a button that shifts their control from the front doors to the back. ![]() *Mk8 Volkswagen GTI interior. *Volkswagen** More importantly, though, Volkswagen intends to improve the material quality of its cabins. VW used to be a brand that punched above its market position where interior quality and design were concerned. In recent years, though, the company's interiors have been filled with cheap piano black trim, horrid touch capacitive buttons, and scratchy hard plastics. No more, says VW's head of design Andy Mindt. "We’re going to try and kick out cheap plastic materials and put the money instead into fabrics and improving quality, which helps save money and means we can use it elsewhere. An example could be a door card that’s made of three pieces. We’ll try instead to design it using one island in the middle. There’ll still be a door handle and armrest as before, but it’ll all be built from one piece. It also makes the whole process more sustainable." Fabrics have been used to great effect in a few modern cars, mainly those hailing from Sweden. Ideally, switching to high-quality fabrics and simpler one-piece door cards could make VW's products feel nicer while also keeping costs down—both for the automaker to build the cars and, hopefully, for customers to buy them. It'll all contribute to a friendlier vibe in the cabin, Mindt believes. "What is the need to be aggressive? Our core is like this: be the nice guys." *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()