Volkswagen Golf R Touch concept at CES

Buttons and dials are passé. That's the verdict handed down by Europe's largest car maker, Volkswagen, which premiered its brand new Golf R Touch concept at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Instead of the usual cluster of rotary dials, switches and buttons, this particular Volkswagen Golf R replaces them all with touchscreens for a buttonless cockpit. VW will, however, be beaten to the 'button-less' punch when Volvo launches its new XC90 in Australia by May 2015 – we'll test it in Sweden mid-February – which features a huge tablet-like all-in-one touchscreen.

But Volkswagen's new 'Touch' concept suggests VW is looking to streamline the interior layout of its next-generation vehicles and it looks increasingly likely to become an industry-wide trend as touchscreen technology improves and becomes more affordable.

The main high-resolution screen in the Golf R Touch concept is a large 12.8-inch unit, which together with gesture control is claimed to improve functionality and simplify in-car operations. Volkswagen says it reduces driver distraction and presents a cleaner, more sophisticated interior too.

The large central 12.8-inch touchscreen can be completely customised and below it sits an 8.0-inch 'control centre' which features haptic feedback and operates things such as climate control and audio functions. The instrument panel is also now completely digitised, with a 12.3-inch screen displaying high-resolution speedometer and tachometer and other critical info.

The addition of a gesture control system uses a 3D camera imbedded in the headlining; a wave of the hand can operate things such as the sunroof.

Volkswagen also had a number of other future technologies on display, which it plans to introduce into production vehicles in the mid-term, chief among them its Intelligent Charge system.

Shown at the 2015 CES with the e-Golf, which is still many years from launching in Australia, the system uses inductive charging to wirelessly recharge the electric Golf's Lithium-ion batteries.

In a neat twist, owners will be able tell how charged the car is by the intensity of its exterior lights, or a smart phone app. The latter can also be used a key to start the engine and lock/unlock the car.