Ididit Incorporated Banner on 2040-parts.com

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.

BMW X6 and 6-series get limited editions

BMW revealed two special edition 2013 models on Thursday: the X6 Performance Edition and 6-series Coupe Frozen Silver Edition. In 2011 the company did the same thing with the BMW M3 Frozen Black Edition. The X6 Performance Edition can be considered an M light.

Kia teases Chicago-bound Cross GT concept

Kia has revealed a sneek peek of its Cross GT Concept ahead of its unveiling at the Chicago auto show. The carmaker has said that the Cross GT Concept "hints at the future of Kia's design language in the form of a premium Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) that is larger than the new 2014 Sorento." Although the render provides only a limited view, the front end features slim, swept back lamps that flank Kia's signature grille. A jutting chin and coupe-esque roofline add the requisite crossover mashup elements.