The New England Motor Press Association is packed with members who are writers and content creators. Among them is Matt Smith. Now in his second decade with the group, Matt still tests vehicles, writes his own reviews, and publishes content under his own byline. Just a few of the reviews he’s recently published are:
The Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid, Filmed at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA; The Volkswagen GTI, Filmed On Site at the Summit Point Raceway, WV; The 2026 Honda Passport, Filmed in San Juan, PR
Matt is one of NEMPA’s most skilled content creators. Over time, his editorial expertise and management capabilities have led to his current role as Head of Content at CarGurus. We call that ‘getting kicked upstairs’ here in New England. If Matt’s not careful, they’re going to make him a VP before he knows it.
Matt is a natural collaborator. He works closely with many NEMPA members on content creation. Cliff Atiyeh, NEMPA’s President, along with Michael Venn and Thom Blackett, are regular contributors to his team. They help create some of the highest-quality, most entertaining YouTube content in the automotive space.
The CarGurus YouTube channel boasts 251,000 subscribers and has published hundreds of high-quality, long- and short-form automotive videos. Many of these videos draw hundreds of thousands of views and tens of thousands of likes—a level of reach that demonstrates CarGurus’ influence in the automotive content space?
Matt also co-hosts and executive-produces The Driveway podcast with Dave Undercoffler and NEMPA members Natalie Harrington and Elliot Haney. These in-depth discussions explore everything from reliability rankings to new model first impressions. The most recent was “Most Reliable Cars in 2026.”
Matt has a philosophy on cars that resonates with everyday shoppers:
Like most shoppers, my life doesn’t revolve around cars—cars revolve around my life. The right car enables the life you want to live, whether that’s weekend getaways, cross-country road trips, or just making errands easier.
Matt specializes in helping shoppers who don’t think of themselves as ‘car people’ find the vehicle that’s right for their life. Always positive in his demeanor, Matt says, “My favorite words to hear are ‘I love my car.”‘
Matt’s depth of knowledge comes from driving and testing over 50 vehicles per year. He has the support of NEMPA and its fleet management partner, Automotion. If you’re a manufacturer interested in having your vehicle highlighted by our members, NEMPA can help make that happen.
John, Nice profile of Matt Smith! Thanks! Jim