This year Volvo brought the EX30, an electric SUV, to the U.S. market. (In Europe the car has been available since 2023, but tariffs and red tape delayed the U.S. launch.) Starting around $38,000, it's meant to be an affordable EV and gateway vehicle to the brand. The car looks smart enough on the outside, but the interior is a damning indictment of cost-cutting. Multiple speakers have been eliminated in favor of a single soundbar, to reduce wiring, but that's the least of the troubles. Take a look at the dashboard: That's right, there's no instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. That little black thing you see houses a driver-monitoring camera. To see your current speed, you need to flick your gaze sideways to the central screen. There is no option for a heads-up display. There's also no buttons, knobs or switches on the dash. Instead you must use the touchscreen for climate control, to adjust your headlight settings, select your wiper sensitivity and even open the glovebox. I know that Tesla owners are already accustomed to this trade-off. However, I find it surprising from Volvo's designers because the brand built their name on safety. Having to fiddle with a touchscreen to adjust even basic functions seems antithetical to their design principles. "Putting everything into a single screen means we can create a feeling of space around the driver," Volvo writes in a bit of spin, before being completely honest: "…as well as save on materials."

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