I think this sort of thing would be nice for replacing the Touch Bar on previous generation Macs with a row of changable keys.
I don't think it solves the problem of touch screens in cars though. The benefit of dedicated physical buttons in a car isn't just that they are physical. It's that you can use them without having to look at them. If you don't know what the button does (because it's changeable) then you can no longer simply use it without looking.
It's probably still better than a pure touch screen though.
This. I'd be pretty surprised if (among those here who drive their own car at least weekly) anyone takes their eyes off the road to press defrost, volume, next track, change fan speed, temperature etc
I don't think it solves the problem of touch screens in cars though. The benefit of dedicated physical buttons in a car isn't just that they are physical. It's that you can use them without having to look at them. If you don't know what the button does (because it's changeable) then you can no longer simply use it without looking.
It's probably still better than a pure touch screen though.