Volkswagen has already learned the hard way that drivers aren’t keen on haptic controls, which is why the brand is reversing course and slowly, but gradually restoring physical buttons to the steering wheel. But a new patent filing shows the company is also exploring a different direction altogether, and this latest idea could prove even more frustrating than haptics ever were.

Read: VW Getting Rid Of Dreaded Touch-Sensitive Controls On Steering Wheels

The patent, filed earlier this month in Germany, describes a setup where a universal toggle switch would be fitted to the steering wheel, along with an eye-tracker in the center of the dashboard.

To operate basic features such as headlights or windshield wipers, the driver would need to look at the function they want and then activate it via the steering-wheel toggle.

Eyes On Everything

This setup could combine the eye-tracker with voice control, so you may not have to rely solely on your eyes to control a function. At least in theory, that is.

While Volkswagen’s system is certainly intriguing, it appears overly complicated and is likely to make errors. After all, if you quickly glance at the sunroof, hoping to slide back the sunshade, what’s going to prevent the system from thinking you actually want to open the roof, not just the shade?

Volkswagen argues in its patent filing that “an increasing number of functions/setting options leads to a deeper menu structure (softkey) or a multiplication of control elements (hardkey). The user is increasingly distracted from the traffic situation during operation.”

The reasoning isn’t wrong, but replacing simple buttons with a system that guesses your intentions feels like a recipe for distraction in its own right.

Back To Buttons

Importantly, we don’t actually expect to see VW employ a system like this anytime soon, if at all. The company is already committed to bringing back physical buttons for many important controls, including on the steering wheel and several key toggle switches below the infotainment screens of its next-generation models. The recent ID.Every1 Concept previewed these new buttons.

As for eye-tracking controls, they remain more of a speculative experiment than a real-world feature. If they ever do appear in production cars, don’t expect it to be anytime soon.

VW ID.Every1 Concept

Sources: Patent Office , Motor1,

Rumors of the Volvo EM90 minivan launching in the United States have kicked into overdrive after the company made a recent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Not only that, but the vehicle depicted in the patent images appears to be a plug-in hybrid, while the EM90 introduced in China is all-electric.

Read: New Volvo XC70 Dumps Its Wagon Past And Goes Full Crossover

Car and Driver spotted the filings and noted that the the Volvo EM90’s design is nearly identical to its Chinese counterpart, save for one detail that stands out. While the EV wears its charging port on the left rear quarter, the U.S. patent drawings add an extra flap on the right rear side.

What’s Behind The Extra Flap?

That second hatch led to speculation that the model in question could be hiding a fuel filler, keeping the charging port in its original place and thereby creating a plug-in hybrid setup. On the other hand, several manufacturers, Audi among them, have opted for dual charging ports on their electric models to make public charging easier. With that in mind, Volvo could just as easily be following a similar path with the EM90.

Volvo’s Hybrid Plans

The emergence of this patent prompted suggestions that a plug-in hybrid EM90 could be the new hybrid Volvo has been promising to build at its Charleston factory in South Carolina. However, in a statement issued in response to the original story, Volvo denied any plans of selling the EM90 in the US and downplayed the possibility of it being the hybrid to be built in the US.

“[Volvo does] not have any plans to bring EM90 to the U.S. [Volvo] will share more details about the future hybrid to come to our Charleston plant at a later date,” the automaker said.

Of course, this begs the question as to why Volvo went to the trouble of patenting the vehicle in the US if it has no intention of selling it locally? It may have done so on the off chance that it reconsiders and decides to sell the EM90 in the United States.