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Modern-day Mercedes-Benz clearly has a strong liking for screens. That is hardly a secret, as anyone who has seen the optional “Hyperscreen” in the new C-Class EV will know. The long-established benchmark setter in automotive design is now perfectly willing to offer as much screen area as a buyer could want. Even so, it appears the current situation may not be the upper limit.

Speaking recently to publications including the United Kingdom’s Auto Express, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius discussed the brand’s increasingly digital-focused cabin design and said that he “doesn’t think we’re at maximum screen, but we are at low buttons.” Autocar reported the same conversation with slightly different wording, quoting Källenius as saying that he does not believe the automotive industry has reached “peak screen” yet.

Whichever version of the quote you go by, the takeaway seems straightforward: Mercedes does not appear ready to continue eliminating buttons and other physical controls from its interiors indefinitely, but at the same time it is also not preparing to step away from the race to fit ever-larger screens into cabins. That may disappoint buyers who want a return to full-width wood-trim dashboards and darker, calmer interiors that are not dominated by the glow of what can often feel like an enormous screensaver. On the other hand, it does offer at least some reassurance for those who disliked the capacitive touch controls spread across Mercedes steering wheels in the early 2020s. Thankfully, those are now being replaced, at least in part, by physical controls.

What remains uncertain is exactly where Mercedes could realistically add more displays. The company’s Hyperscreen-branded setups, such as the optional unit in the new C-Class and the similarly huge system available in the EQS EV since launch, already occupy virtually all the usable dashboard space. Even the smaller “Superscreen” arrangement in models such as the new CLA-Class makes use of most of the cabin’s available display real estate. So does this suggest the German luxury marque could be looking at fresh areas for screens, such as the door cards, centre console, or even the roof lining? Only time will tell.