Instrument panel with pointer position detection and pointer back illumination

A vehicle (10) instrument panel assembly (12) that includes a display (30), a pointer (24), and a light detector (40). The display (30) is configured to define indicia (26) on a surface of the display (30). The indicia (26) are configured to emit light (48). The pointer (24) is configured to rotate a shaft (34) of the pointer (24) about an axis (36) to align a tip (46) of the pointer (24) with the indicia (26). The pointer (24) is also configured to conduct light (48) emitted by the indicia (26) from the tip (46) into the shaft (34) when the tip (46) is substantially aligned with the indicia (26). The light detector (40) is configured to detect light (48) in the shaft (34) of the pointer (24) to determine the position of the pointer (24).