Essay: Variable Degrees of Translucency

Car door panels and fenders are generally made of steel, sometimes of aluminum or plastic composites, and you can't see through them. Car windows, on the other hand, are made of a transparent sandwich of glass and plastic - and you can see through them. But in the future there will be variable degrees of transparency: translucent elements where once there were none, traditional window areas that will have opaque elements and graduated progressions from opaque to see-through.

Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid: The plug-in Cayenne debuts in Paris

The Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid arrives in Paris There will come a point when governments realise that car makers are getting too clever at gaming CO2 levels with impressive and sophisticated hybrids. But until then, there’s a growing number of cars that, on the face of it, offer a ‘cake and eat it’ option for buyers. Like the new Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.

First Sight: Fenomenon Stratos

The Geneva Show sees a surprising newcomer to its stands in the shape of Fenomemon Ltd and their concept Stratos project. This new London-based vehicle design agency is led by a current student on the Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design course, Chris Hrabalek, who has masterminded a complete full-size mockup of a reborn Lancia Stratos concept for this year's Geneva Show. In a world where multinational companies spend several million dollars on a concept car and stand, that's a phenomenal achievement.