BYD will stop using rotating touchscreens as it ramps up the use of third-party apps and platforms in its cars.
Rotating touchscreens were a headline feature of BYDs during the initial phase of the Chinese brand's European roll-out, serving as a means of differentiating its interiors from those of similarly minimalist rivals. They were fitted as standard right across the range, down to the £18k Dolphin Surf hatchback.
BYD said the ability to spin the screen 90deg made it easier to use while stationary or moving - with portrait orientation giving a better view ahead in navigation mode, for example, and landscape orientation making it easier for occupants to access the whole screen while stationary.
But now the firm is discontinuing one of its most distinguishing features in a bid to better integrate the apps that most of its customers use day to day.
The new Atto 2 crossover is the first BYD to arrive with its 12.4in screen locked in landscape mode, and the spinning function will be phased out of the other models in the line-up from now.
Vice-president Stella Li explained the move to Autocar: "We are starting to engage in a lot of apps. The Atto 2 will be the first model with Google and Apple CarPlay. And if they want to give the best experience, then a rotating screen will limit their apps' smoothness.
"And then secondly, we saw the feedback in the market. People love the rotating screens, but the usage is very small."
"The next focus for us will be autonomous driving," Li added, saying that BYD will also ramp up its tech partnerships with companies like Apple and Google, necessitating a more universally compatible user interface.
"We want to make our platforms become more universal to in order to fulfill the best experience. For some apps, like Google, they are a little bit behind."
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