Some great car ideas born in West Mich

DETROIT (WOOD) - From the Corvette to the full-size Chevy pickup to the Ford Fusion, parts made in West Michigan are inside dozens of models. And the ideas for those parts come from West Michigan, too.

"We're putting in mirrors. We're putting in instrument panels, seat assemblies, door trims," said Mike Wall of IHS Automotive. "A lot of the interior parts to the vehicle, a lot of structural parts to the vehicles."

Beyond the necessary, there are ideas that have practical applications. For instance, the driver who drops the keys and they fall between the seat and the floor console.

Eric Toth, the interior design chief for Johnson Controls , showed 24 Hour News 8 a solution for that problem -- a catch-all tray.

A driver is able to simply "remove (the tray) and either clean it out or get your items out of it," he said at the JCI booth at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Another idea developed in West Michigan is a wireless phone charger.

"The lighting lets you know it's recognized it," he said. "Now that it's charging, it will kind of go to a sequence and then it lets you know when it's full."

Toth said their ideas come from talking with consumers.

"We try to understand what some of their needs are and then the ideas we're showing today, for the most part, should have a direct relationship on what we're hearing they require."

Much of the interior of a JCI display car is a concept, but some of the ideas could end up in your car in 3-5 years.

The North American International Auto Show begins Saturday in Detroit.
The Michigan International Auto Show begins January 31 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.