Author: Sam Dale, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx
Haptic technologies deliver feedback through the sense of touch, from simple vibration alerts all the way to immersive tactile interactions. In 2024, the largest market for haptics is in smartphones, but as the smartphone market stagnates, the industry is looking towards automotive interiors as the major opportunity for the next decade.
Haptics in vehicles are far from new; for example, some Mercedes models introduced vibration alerts for lane keep assist as far back as 2009. However, IDTechEx’s recent report, “Haptics 2025-2035: Technologies, Markets, Players”, forecasts a near-US$2.5 billion market for automotive haptics in 2035, far outshining the US$300 million market predicted for 2024. A significant reason behind this growth is the move towards solid-state buttons in vehicle interiors, which result in simpler mechanical designs, can save costs, and prevent ingress of dust and other contaminants behind physical switches. A solid-state button lacks input confirmation natively, so adding a haptic actuator helps the user know they’ve clicked a switch without needing visual or auditory feedback.
There are opportunities for haptics all over the cockpit of cars and other motor vehicles. Source: IDTechEx
This input confirmation was helpful when these haptic buttons were only used for the control of non-core driving functions like climate control or infotainment systems, but it is vital when they are used to control core driving functionality. A key case study here is the steering wheel in Tesla’s Model 3, specifically in the Highland refresh post-October 2023. Previous Tesla models had used physical buttons on the steering wheel to replace indicator stalks, but this update moved these to capacitive haptic buttons, which did not have a physical detent when pressed. Haptic buttons on the steering wheel are also used to control other important functions, like cruise control and windscreen wipers. In the coming years, other marques are likely to follow Tesla’s move as they seek to simplify the car cockpit’s design while increasing reliability and potentially reducing production costs.
Aside from increasing the adoption of these solid-state buttons in more vehicles and so the number of haptic actuators sold into the automotive market, the use of haptic buttons for core driving functionality is also likely to result in the adoption of more haptic actuators per individual vehicle. Where haptic buttons are used to control less important features, a strip of capacitive buttons with a single, commodity haptic actuator like an LRA (linear resonant actuator) or even a super low-cost ERM (eccentric rotating mass) motor might suffice to confirm input from several buttons, but requirements get more stringent when a mis-click could lead to an accident. Of course, all this is expected to contribute to the flourishing of this market predicted by IDTechEx.
The use of a single actuator per button will likely be required here to help localize feedback, and a prime opportunity is presented here for the use of more advanced haptic actuators, particularly piezoelectric actuators from providers like TDK, which can provide a “crisper” button press feel, since they can accelerate extremely quickly, in a smaller package than most haptic actuators. Furthermore, piezoelectric actuators, when paired with drivers from a company like Canadian player Boréas Technologies, can also integrate pressure sensing capabilities themselves, removing the need for separate capacitive sensing circuitry. The major headwinds here are the difficult qualification processes inherent to all new automotive tech and their perceived fragility, which Boréas’ CEO Simon Chaput told IDTechEx is due more to a general lack of engineering knowhow around piezoelectric actuators, not an inherent issue with the tech. Boréas has combatted this by offering its own engineering services and reference designs to implementers of its driver technology.
The functionality of the display in a car’s center console can also be enhanced by haptics, which can provide a level of input confirmation that is harder to miss than visual or auditory feedback alone, reducing associated distraction. This lack of a button “click” has been a frequent criticism associated with the increasing reliance on the center console display to control functions that previously had their own buttons, so automakers, including Nissan and Audi, have added haptic input feedback here to help solve this issue. Newer classes of actuator, including voice coil motors (VCMs), could enhance user experience here. Their design is customizable to actuate more evenly over larger surfaces like a display, alongside their ability to convey a greater range of haptic sensations than the ubiquitous LRA due to their greater frequency response range.
Despite all the positive news for the adoption of haptics in vehicles, there are headwinds as well. Pressure to reduce reliance on touchscreen center consoles is coming from the safety body Euro NCAP. From January 2026, it says it will downgrade the safety rating for vehicles that do not use physical buttons for basic operations like activating hazard lights. This may lessen opportunities for haptics integration if this results in a move back to physical buttons; although this is not a regulatory move, so many automakers may choose to simply take the hit here.
Another headwind comes from consumer perception, with the VW Group stating that the auto giant had moved away from the haptic buttons it had used in some models as these had been poorly received by customers. Improving the design of these buttons to provide more clearly defined edges and the use of more advanced actuators for an improved tactile feel could go a long way toward solving these issues.
Ultimately, despite these pain points, the move towards increased haptic integration in automotive interiors seems inexorable, with major automakers and Tier Ones across the board having significant stakes in these technologies. IDTechEx’s report, “Haptics 2025-2035: Technologies, Markets, Players”, is a valuable resource to help you understand the evolving status of this market. It includes 10-year forecasting and market overviews, which focus on key application areas, including smartphones, gaming, VR, laptops, and, of course, vehicles. IDTechEx has been covering this market since 2015, and its network and overview of this exciting market are extensive.
To find out more about the IDTechEx report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Haptics.
For the full portfolio of sensors, haptics, and displays market research available from IDTechEx, please see www.IDTechEx.com/Research/Haptics.