Brett Smith
Director - Research
Center for Automotive Research
Brett Smith is the Director of the Propulsion Technologies & Energy Infrastructure Group. He joined CAR in 2000 after 12 years at the University of Michigan’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT).
During his career, Brett’s research has spanned many critical aspects of the automotive industry. He has been deeply involved in research on vehicle and component manufacturing; materials forecasting; product development and analysis; supplier–manufacturer relations; technology development; facility location analysis; and human resource and talent issues. Brett was also active as a labor educator for 15 years.
Brett’s research experience in the area of advanced powertrain technology includes numerous reports and technology forecasts on this subject. He was chair of the NextEnergy-CAR Plug-in Electric Vehicle Working Group (2007-2012), and is currently chair of the Advanced Powertrain Thought Leadership Roundtable, an assemblage of leading powertrain suppliers working with CAR to develop a comprehensive understanding of issues driving this critical industry sector. Brett is an active advisor to the CAR Automotive Communities Partnership (ACP), and leads the Advanced Powertrain Thought Leadership Roundtable at CAR.
Since 2012, Brett has served as Co-Director, CAR Management Briefing Seminars. In that role he has guided tactical planning for the CAR Management Briefing Seminars and other CAR conference activities. He has also chaired the Advanced Powertrain Forum at CAR MBS since 2003, and is also the chair of the Car of Tomorrow session.
Brett received a B.S. in Economics and an M.B.A. from Eastern Michigan University.
Publications
- The Great Divide: What Automotive Consumers are Buying vs. Auto & Supplier Investments in Future Technologies, Products & Business Models
- Technology Roadmaps: Intelligent Mobility Technology; Materials and Manufacturing Processes; and Light Duty Vehicle Propulsion
- The Canada-U.S. Border: An Automotive Study
- Creating Shareholder Value in the Supply Base, Gentex Corporation – Leveraging Intangible Assets Through Relationships – A Best Practices Case Study
- Positioning the State of Michigan as a Leading Candidate for Fuel Cell and Alternative Powertrain Manufacturing
- The Michigan Automotive Policy Survey
- Michigan Automotive Partnership Research Memorandum No. 1 – The Future of Modular Automotive Systems: Where are the Economic Efficiencies in the Modular-Assembly Concept?
- Driving Michigan’s Renaissance Human Resource Issues in Michigan’s Automotive Industry
- Advanced Power Technology Survey
- Advanced Power Technology Alliance Advanced Internal Combustion Engine Survey (Light Duty Vehicle Technology)
- Developing a National Strategy for High-Volume Manufacture of P.E.M. and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Workshop
- Key Factors that Enable Product Development: An Investigation of Creating “Cool” Products
- Low-Volume Vehicle Production
- The Warranty Process Flow Within the Automotive Industry: An Investigation of Automotive Warranty Processes and Issues
- The California Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Its Implications to the Automotive Industry
- The Major Determinants of U.S. Automotive Demand: Factors Driving the U.S. Automotive Market And Their Implications for Specialty Equipment and Performance Aftermarket Suppliers
- Powertrain Forecast and Analysis: What is Coming and What Are the Implications for the Specialty Equipment and Performance Aftermarket Industry
- The Specialty Equipment Automotive Company of the Future: Guideposts for Strategic Planning
- Meeting U.S. Passenger Vehicle Emissions Standards: Greenhouse Gas Credits Balance
- A Primer to Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards
- Crucial Greenhouse Gas and Corporate Average Fuel Economy(CAFE) Regulation Differences in the United States
- An Assessment of Powertrain Technology Costs Associated with Meeting CAFE and GHG Standards
- The Economic Implications of Potential NHTSA and EPA Regulatory Revisions on U.S. Light Truck Sales and Manufacturing
- Potential Cost Savings and Additional Benefits of Convergence of Safety Regulations between the United States and the European Union