The tortuous development of touch screen technology can be seen from the Buick Riviera, which was the first to be equipped with touch screen technology

On the surface, the development of smartphones has a certain promoting effect on car infotainment systems. When people are used to poking at the screens of their mobile phones, they will also be used to clicking on the functions they need on the car infotainment system with their fingers.

But in fact, touch screen technology was already used in cars before the world's first IBM Simon appeared. Buick Riviera GM, as a classic model in the Buick series, was the first to use touch screen technology as early as 1986-1970.

As early as 1986, Buick showed amazing foresight. The 1986 Riviera model added touch screen technology, and the modern Riviera series is still a shining pearl in the Buick car series.

Buick showed amazing foresight by being the first to offer a touchscreen on a series production model, the new 1986 Riviera. Now in its seventh generation, the Riviera is no ordinary Buick. Its development phase was heavily influenced by two ongoing changes in the automotive industry.

First, parent company General Motors is shedding much of the homegrown yachting industry from its portfolio, and second, Buick is looking to rebrand itself as a purveyor of premium luxury vehicles to attract younger, wealthier buyers to the brand.

Every Riviera came standard with a 9.0-inch touchscreen, an undeniably primitive but highly innovative screen for its time.

The infotainment system is called the Graphical Control Center (GCC), and when the Riviera began production, printed promotional materials boasted that the GCC system replaced 91 controls, eliminating a ton of cluttered buttons and giving the Riviera a cleaner, simpler dashboard.

At that time, people were still stuck on pixel-style displays, and Apple's Macintosh Plus could be considered the most advanced machine at the time. So it was difficult for people to be interested in buying a car equipped with a central control screen, and people were still on the sidelines about this advanced design.

The GCC system has a great futuristic color, and this design that was ahead of its time shocked everyone at the time.

It offers basic functionality, showing average fuel consumption as well as the date and time, and also lets the driver adjust the stereo volume, change radio stations, and set climate controls.

There are also some basic functions such as showing the remaining fuel in the tank and the closing status of the door. The slightly insufficient thing is that every time you click a function, it will respond to you with an unpleasant noise, but the response speed is fast, and some basic functions are relatively complete.

Buick began testing this system as early as 1984, and after two years of trials and adjustments, it was finally installed on the car in 1986, bringing this futuristic driving experience to car fans.

But cutting-edge technology, then and now, comes with a high price tag. In the 1986 model year, the Riviera started at $19,831 (about 137,000 yuan), which is about $46,000 (about 360,000 yuan) in 2019.

For the same price, consumers can get a Cadillac or BMW 3 Series, and the price of a touch screen allows this Buick to catch up with these two luxury car brands.

Buick has continued to improve the functionality of touchscreens, adding an optional electronic compass and a mobile phone directory in 1988, and in the years since, Buick has introduced several different levels of touchscreens.

According to the general trend of technological development, touch screen technology should soon spread throughout the automotive industry, and in the early 1990s, General Motors was even larger than it is today, so GCC's technology could easily penetrate other brands, such as Chevrolet and Cadillac.

But things did not develop in this direction. Early drivers were very resistant to touch screen technology. They protested that taking their eyes off the road and taking their hands off the steering wheel for some unimportant information was not worth the cost.

The existing technology at that time could not make consumers accept the concept of touch screens, and the high prices would make people discouraged. Buick once gave up on the futuristic technology of touch screens.

Meanwhile, in Japan, automakers have begun experimenting with touchscreen technology in their home market. In 1990, Mazda launched the first car with touchscreen technology, the Mazda Eunos Cosmo, and later Toyota and Mitsubishi also launched some models with touchscreen technology.

But the technology has been irrelevant to mainstream buyers, limited to a handful of high-end, expensive cars. The widespread adoption of touchscreen technology seems a long way off.

It was not until the development of technology and the emergence of GPS and electronic rearview mirror technology that car manufacturers began to pay attention to touch screen technology. The rigid demand for a screen due to the new technology gave touch screen technology a new life. Coupled with the smartphones launched by Apple and Samsung at the time, people were ready for this new technology this time.

With the continuous improvement of technology, touch screens can bring more and more convenient driving experience to drivers. People are becoming more and more inseparable from this screen, and now touch screens have become standard equipment in cars.

Just as people are constantly exploring new technologies, the development of cars is also constantly advancing. In the past, touch screens, which seemed to be high-end technology, have become popular in people's daily lives, and now high-end technologies such as holographic projection and autonomous driving will definitely become popular in the future.

Car manufacturers have never stopped exploring technology, constantly bringing us various convenient technologies and powerful models. We will always enjoy a more convenient and fast driving experience.