Niki Smart

Niki Smart
Born (1973-06-10) June 10, 1973 (age 51)
Brackley, Northamptonshire, UK
NationalityBritish
Alma materCoventry University
Royal College of Art, London
OccupationFreelance Automotive Designer based in Los Angeles
Years active1998–present
Children2

Niki Smart is a British car designer, known for being the lead designer on the Ariel Atom project and his concept car design for Cadillac, as design manager for the General Motors Advanced Design team in Los Angeles, California.[1]

Smart began designing the Ariel Atom whilst studying at Coventry University,[2] in conjunction with Ariel Motor Company boss and senior transport design lecturer Simon Saunders.[3][4] Smart completed his master's in vehicle design at the Royal College of Art,[5] London in 1999. In 1997, Smart moved on to Tom Walkinshaw Racing as a designer and then to the Ford Motor Company in 1998.

Smart was exterior design manager for the General Motors Advanced Design team in Los Angeles, California up until 2019, and oversaw the design of the Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept[6] in 2010 and the Cadillac Ciel Concept,[7] a hybrid electric concept car released in 2011.

Smart also oversaw the design of the Cadillac Elmiraj,[8] which was unveiled at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2013.[9]

On its debut at the 2019 Quail Motorcycle Gathering, Smart unveiled the ABC 500. It received first place in the Modified Class.[10]

  1. ^ Q&A: Niki Smart and Gael Buzyn, lead designers, Cadillac | SmartPlanet
  2. ^ Steve Cropley (1996), 'Your Starter for £10k', Autocar, October 16, 1996 pp74-77: "The project had its germination as a project for 100-odd students of Coventry's School of Transport Design" "As senior lecturer on the Coventry course, Saunders fell naturally into the role of financial manager, enabler and chief critic" "Most of the LSC's primary design is Smart's"
  3. ^ Ariel Atom#Design origins
  4. ^ "Ariel Atom buying guide". evo. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ RCA Show 2006 – Car Design News
  6. ^ Caddy's ULC gets my vote | Autocar
  7. ^ "MotorTrend: New Cars - Car News and Expert Reviews".
  8. ^ Photos: Four-Wheeled Future: The Cadillac Elmiraj Concept Car Is Not a Mirage but a Very Real Oasis—of Delight! | Vanity Fair
  9. ^ From Overstatement To Elegance: Cadillac Will Tone Down Its Cars, And Elmiraj Concept Shows How - Forbes
  10. ^ "Showstopper: A 21st century boardtracker wows the Quail". 10 July 2019.