Keyboards aren't really configurable at all. I mean sure, you can decide what each button does in a given context but at the end of a day you have a fixed numbe

Keyboards aren't really configurable at all. I mean sure, you can decide what each button does in a given context but at the end of a day you have a fixed number of buttons. With a touchscreen you can change the size of the buttons, because if you have fewer options you can make them easier to hit. Or you can have (limited) other forms of control. You can have "analog" sliders and rotating dials. Additionally you can configure between output and input which is valuable when you are space constrained. (which is probably not an issue in cars)