The greenhouse (or glasshouse) of a car comprises the

windshield The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. ...

, rear and side windows, the

pillars A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

separating them (designated A-pillar, B-pillar and so on, starting from the car's front), and the car's roof.Gustavson, Mark (1999), ''Custom Car'', Kalmbach Publishing Company, , p. 7 The shape and position of the greenhouse have a defining influence on the looks of the car and are a prime factor in differentiating between body styles such as saloon/ sedan, coupé, estate/wagon and hatchback. A greenhouse with noticeably inward side slopes is also referred to as the

tumblehome Tumblehome is a term describing a hull which grows narrower above the waterline than its beam. The opposite of tumblehome is flare. A small amount of tumblehome is normal in many naval architecture designs in order to allow any small projecti ...

. In the 2000s and 2010s, greenhouses have become narrower because of design trends and crash regulations. Some manufacturers incorporate trademark design features in the greenhouse that are present across several model series, one example being the BMW

Hofmeister kink The Hofmeister kink (German: Hofmeister-Knick) is an automotive design feature consisting of a rearward/forward angle near the base of the rearmost pillar. It is named for Wilhelm Hofmeister, who was BMW's design chief from 1955 to 1970, though ...

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