Firms customize mobility options

The 1999 car accident that paralyzed Steve Kitchin from the neck down left him feeling "emasculated."

It wasn't just the limits on his once-active life: He was suddenly "stuck in a minivan," the only thing that could handle the 625 pounds when he was sitting in his electric wheelchair.

Kitchin approached an engineer friend who pulled together designs and a business plan to customize Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras specifically for those with wheelchairs or scooters.

Their Fort Wayne, Ind., company, GoShichi, is one of many companies represented in the Mobility Center at Cobo Center during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

They're tapping into a much larger market than many might suspect: Federal data show 54 million Americans have disabilities, with 14 million requiring some mobility assistance. About 4 million rely on wheelchairs or scooters for mobility.

The good news is there are a growing number of options to assist those with mobility limitations.

The bad news is they can carry hefty price tags.

At GoShichi, modifications include lowering the truck floor. The entire side of the passenger compartment is converted to slide out like a drawer with a wheelchair ramp.

GoShichi has sold about 150 of the modified trucks but hopes to turn out that many every month by the end of this year.

Another vendor at the Mobility Center is Madison Heights-based Creative Mobility Group. Like GoShichi, it can modify a van to slip a wheelchair inside, or install an Anderson Lift system to store a wheelchair or scooter in the cargo compartment. But the firm also sells some more basic devices for those who have minor mobility issues.

That includes a simple pedal extender for people who might have legs of different lengths, or who are simply too short to reach the pedals, notes Margo Vranic, the firm's regional sales manager.

"In some cases," she explains, "people just need a little help getting in or out of the vehicle," such as a client who had removable pegs installed on the side of her vehicle to make it easier to climb in.

At the other end of the spectrum is the MV-1, a vehicle designed from the ground up specifically for those with mobility needs. The approach means owners don't have to settle for a vehicle that has been customized, with all the inherent problems that implies, says Mark Wynands, vice president of marketing for Vehicle Production Group, which developed the system.

"We hope to see a full production run of 12,000 in 2012," he says of the MV-1, which uses a 4.6-liter Ford V-8 and can be equipped to run on clean natural gas.

The problem, says Creative Mobility Group's Vranic, is that vehicles designed or modified for the mobility challenged can be expensive. The GoShichi modifications add $20,000 to the price of a Silverado or GMC. A new MV1 starts at $39,950, with the natural gas conversion adding another $9,000.

There aren't many sources of financial aid to cover the costs. A small group of automakers — including all the domestics (Chrysler is a participant in the Mobility Center) as well as Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota — have set up a mobility rebate program. Buy a new vehicle and they'll kick in up to $1,000 for the necessary modifications.

Toyota, however, has also introduced a factory-first Auto Access Seat for handicapped customers.

"Designed for someone who has some mobility but difficulty getting in and out of a vehicle," explains Toyota representative Quaid McIver, it functions like a regular car seat. But the seat swings forward and out the door to make for simple ingress and egress.