LCD display unit with neutral density filter

The present invention relates to a display unit, and in particular relates to a display unit for a motor vehicle, having a display area (A) with a back-lit liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and also to such an LCD device bounded by a border area. The display unit comprises a light source (S), and behind the display area a liquid crystal cell (G1, LC. G2), a first polariser (P1) and a second polariser (P2), the light source being configured to provide back-light illumination to the cell and the polarisers forming a pair of polarisers on opposite sides of the cell such that, in use, the first polariser (P1) polarises the illumination and the second polariser (P2) either passes or blocks this illumination when the polarisation of the illumination is rotated by the cell. A first cover sheet extends over said cell, and a second cover sheet extends over the first cover sheet. One of these first and second cover sheets comprises a third polariser (P3) and the other of these cover sheets comprises a neutral density filter (ND), the third polariser being aligned with the second polariser such that the illumination passed by the second polariser is passed by the third polariser, and the first cover sheet is separated from the display area of the LCD device by a gap (D1), such that ambient external light (LA) incident on the LCD device and reflected or scattered (R) back towards the viewer from the display area (A) is attenuated by two passes through the neutral density filter (ND), and by two passes through the third polariser (P3).