When will the death of sun visors come thanks to opaque windshields?

The democratization of opaque glazed roofs, as seen in the new Renault Scenic, raises questions about a modernization of the windshield.

Once very expensive, panoramic glass roofs have become widely accessible in automobiles. Now, the next step is to figure out how to reduce the amount of exterior light entering. Is that ironic?

Ferrari, but also Porsche and now Renault are utilizing the services of French glassmaker Saint-Gobain to make their glass roof opaque. With the Scenic, the Renault company is going very far, since the option (depending on the trim) is limited to 1500 euros, or even included as standard.

Solarbay, this opaque panoramic roof meets occupants’ desires by being able to lose its translucency on demand at various levels. Front seats, rear seats, entire roof — anything can be done thanks to liquid crystals that respond to an electric charge. Why this system? Because it allows users to avoid the sun visor, which used to intrude up to 30 millimeters into the headroom for passengers. Not insignificant.

Towards the disappearance of sun visors?

Subcontractors, constantly seeking new ideas to sell to manufacturers, are now considering a tinted windshield that would help reduce glare from the sun. This would greatly improve comfort.

Admittedly, such a windshield would initially be prohibitively expensive, but perhaps engineers are finally working on a shatterproof model. Today, a small gravel is enough to crack a windshield.

Some manufacturers might go even further… by completely eliminating the windshield. This is not a joke! Polestar has already removed the rear window of its electric SUV Polestar 4, and is considering doing the same with the front in the future. The idea would be to replace it with a ultra-high definition screen that projects images from cameras.

When stopped, similar to a charging moment, the giant screen could serve as a “road cinema.” No need to laugh or cry science fiction—this is actually being developed by engineers!

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