Car makers can design marvels of engineering, like vehicles that self-park and brakes that sense a crash. But creating the perfect spot for a handbag or a cellphone? That is challenging.
"We realize there does need to be a solution out there and there isn't really a good one," says Chris Shinouskis, an engineer at General Motors Co., of the bag problem.
Ms. Shinouskis, whose title is Engineering Specialist for Storage, is one of a handful of engineers and designers in the auto industry whose job is to keep tabs on the ever-growing array of items people bring into their cars, and then carve out cubbies and compartments to hold them.
Adding storage can at times be a hard-fought battle, especially as cars today come crammed with high-tech safety, information and entertainment systems, all of which require space-hogging wiring and hardware.