Buick Riviera: The First Car with a Touchscreen Entertainment Center (1986)

Putting a touchscreen in a car is nothing unusual these days. In fact, on newer models we already expect to find a similar solution to control the entire multimedia section and other secondary functions. However, anyone wanting to explore the origins of this concept will have to travel much further back in time than they might think. Among the "pioneers" stands out the Buick Riviera in its 1986 edition. More compact and expensive than its predecessors, the Riviera '86 had a trick up its sleeve: the "Graphic Control Center", based on a 9-inch CRT monitor.

A Radical Idea for 1986

Computers and cars. There was a time when that relationship seemed impossible, even ridiculous. Today, we have entire fleets of vehicles depending on a software update to function. Without going too far, Tesla is in a not-so-cold war with hackers who unlock advanced performance features that cost thousands of extra dollars. But the link is much deeper and older than we think. For example, placing a touchscreen on the dashboard is nothing special nowadays. The real question is: Who did it first?

The First Production Touchscreen

To find the answer, you have to travel to 1986, when Buick (a division of General Motors) launched the update of its Riviera model. Technically, it was the seventh generation (some fellow sites consider it "eighth"), sold between 1986 and 1993. Smaller, with a V6 engine across its entire line, and with a slight price increase, the Riviera was far from being a sales star, but that '86 model still demands our attention for one reason: It was the first mass-produced car with a touchscreen, as part of the system called "Graphic Control Center".

The GCC allowed controlling aspects such as air conditioning, the radio and the cassette player, but its story didn't end there. It also performed diagnostics related to the brakes, the electrical system, and the transmission. The GCC could report how much fuel was left in the tank, record details of your trip or calculate routes, and warn about the need for maintenance. All this on a monochrome CRT screen of 9 inches. In essence, a compact television installed on the dashboard, which from a certain point of view reminds us of old ATMs.

If we consider that the design of a car took about five years in those days, the inclusion of the Graphic Control Center confirmed that some Buick-GM ideas were far ahead of the normal pace of the industry. The system was extended and updated for the Buick Reatta (even more luxurious than the Riviera), and Oldsmobile made it an optional component (with a color screen and various modifications) of its Toronado Trofeo 1990.

However, the traditional GCC was retired that same year. The reason was obvious: drivers of the time saw it as a distraction. Popular Mechanics summarized it precisely: the technology was impressive, but it broke the "First Ergonomic Commandment", that is, 'you must not take your eyes off the road to make adjustments'.