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Brett Smith is co-director, Manufacturing, Engineering & Technology Group and assistant research director at the Center for Automotive Research. He joined CAR in 2000 after 12 years at the University of Michigan’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT).
Much of Mr. Smith’s work in recent years has been in the area of advanced powertrain technology. He has authored several reports on this subject, including Positioning the State of Michigan as a Leading Candidate for Fuel Cell and Alternative Powertrain Manufacturing, a report prepared for the Michigan Automotive Partnership and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). He also worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to begin the development of a Roadmap for the High Volume Manufacture of Fuel Cells and authored a report for Argonne National Laboratory on an analysis of vehicle fuel efficiency. Current powertrain activities include the research on Plug-in electric hybrid vehicles.
Mr. Smith is also currently leading a research program identifying the characteristics of the aftermarket company of the future. This Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) funded effort will identify how SEMA member companies can proactively prepare for changing vehicle technology and vehicle manufacturer strategy.
While at OSAT, Mr. Smith co-authored four iterations of the Delphi Forecast and Analysis of the North American Automotive Industry: Materials Volume. He also co-authored the Automotive Interiors Delphi Forecast and Analysis, and the Delphi X Marketing Volume. Other reports co-authored by Mr. Smith include the Canada-U.S. Border—An Automotive Study, Creating Shareholder Value in the Supply Base—a Case Study of the Gentex Corporation, and The Future of Modular Automotive Systems: Where are the Economic Efficiencies in the Modular Assembly Concept. Other activities have included a monthly column and a series of articles on vehicle launch performance and human resource issues in the automotive industry for Automotive Manufacturing and Production Magazine, (1997-2001), as well as numerous articles for other publications. He has also been an instructor for the U.A.W-GM Paid Education Leave Program since 1992.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He received a B.S. in economics and an M.B.A. from Eastern Michigan University.
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