Vehicular component incorporating concealable indicia with controlled light transmission

A vehicular trim component with interior and exterior surfaces, the vehicular trim component comprising: an at least partially light-transmissive substrate having opposite first and second surfaces; an illumination source adjacent the second surface of the substrate, the illumination source actuatable between an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state; and a variably light-transmissive layer on the first surface of the substrate. The variably light-transmissive layer includes a non-light-transmissive opaque portion and a light-transmissive portion. The light-transmissive portion comprises one or more lines defined through the opaque portion and arranged to define visually perceptible indicia when backlit by the illumination source in its illuminated state. Each line is visually imperceptible to the naked eye from a distance of at least as close as approximately 3 feet from the trim component when the illumination source is in its non-illuminated state.