SMART people 
Walter McManus
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Director, Automotive Analysis Division
What inspires me about SMART:
That we tackle the tough questions when it comes to transportation.
Biography:
Dr. Walter S. McManus, who directs the Automotive Analysis division, is an economist with more than 15 years of automotive industry experience. His research applies tools of econometrics, competitive analysis, consumer demand theory, and forecasting to understand trends in the automotive industry. He focuses on the interaction of the industry, society, and the environment.
His business career included nine years at General Motors (1989-1998) in various assignments, mostly in economics, marketing, and product development. He also worked for a year supervising production in a component manufacturing plant. He became executive director of forecasting and analytics for J.D. Power and Associates in 1999. During five years at J.D. Power and Associates he developed models for forecasting automobile sales and conducted research on new automotive technologies and their impact on society and the environment, the market potential of hybrids and diesel-powered vehicles, and automotive product and brand portfolio strategies
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