Wiper deflector/air scoop (Citroën Xsara Picasso))

[Piwoslaw]

I just recently noticed that the Citroën Xsara Picasso's cabin air intake is a scoop which doubles as a windshield wiper deflector.

This seems like a much better design than the Peugeot 206's air scoops which probably kill airflow on the right half of the hood/bonnet:

In my Peugeot 307 the cabin intake vents are under the trailing edge of the hood, next to the wiper pivots. This is a low pressure area, which means that when the ventilation fan is on it has to fight to keep air flowing into the interior, and when off air is sucked out of the cabin.

[lunarhighway]

on most cars theres a difference in angle between the windshield and the hood, and this creates a high pressure pocket in front of the windshield that shields the wipers somewhat and also feeds the air intake.
on the picasso the overall shape is better but this meast that the whipers are more exposed and the air feed for the ventilation needs to employ a scoop like shape.

you'll see that on some mpv's like the picasso there's a bit of a recess at the base of the windshield where the windshield itself sometimes sits deeper between the A pillars to create this kind of pocket.