''Fascia'' () is a term used in the automotive world that refers to the decorative panels of a car's

dashboard A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...

or the dashboard assembly. Regulations affecting bumper design in the late 1970s saw the increasing use of soft plastic materials on the front and rear of vehicles. ''Fascia'' was adopted then as the term to describe these soft areas, but is now increasingly used as a general term for a car's set of front-end components: grille,

headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

s, front bumper, and other details. A bumper valance panel, a piece that is mounted on top of the bumper, or is right under it, is also considered a part of the vehicle's fascia. Carmakers often design the body panels that form the nose of their vehicles to have a unified look across their model line (see the ‘shark’ grille by Mitsubishi, or ‘tiger-nose’ grille by Kia ). The word comes from the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

word ''fascia'' (), meaning ''stripe''.

References

Automotive body parts {{Automotive-part-stub

See also

References