A window assembly for a vehicle includes a glass window panel having a non-light-transmitting layer established at a perimeter region thereof, and a sensing device disposed at the glass window panel at and behind the non-light-transmitting layer. The non-light-transmitting layer has at least one light-transmitting aperture or icon or alphanumeric character established thereat. The sensing device is disposed at the glass window panel such that a sensor and an illumination source of the sensing device are disposed at each of the light-transmitting apertures established at the non-light-transmitting layer. When the illumination sources are activated, the respective illumination source emits light through the respective light-transmitting aperture and does not emit light through the non-light-transmitting layer, whereby a person viewing the window panel from exterior of the vehicle views a plurality of icons or alphanumeric characters illuminated by respective ones of the illumination sources when the illumination source is/are activated.