Automobile Engineering: Promising Career Paths and Expansive Opportunities

Automobile Engineering is a part of mechanical engineering, and it deals with the manufacturing, operation as well as working of vehicles. The vehicle engineers implement the knowledge in designing vehicles and include other aspects such as technology, electrical supply, etc. Candidates can pursue automotive engineering courses at different levels such as UG, PG, and PhD. 

Automotive Engineering is a broad field and several other programs are also included under it such as fluid mechanics, safety engineering, thermodynamics, aerodynamics, fuel emission, control systems, etc. The automobile engineering scope is great. Students holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree in automotive engineering can work in automotive industries, manufacturing factories, and also in the supply chain of vehicles, etc. 

What is Automobile Engineering? 

Automobile Engineering/Automotive Engineering is one of the branches of manufacturing that comes under the mechanical stream. It provides education regarding the designing, manufacturing, testing, assembling, operating as well as repairing of automobiles.  Automobile engineering courses offer remarkable career opportunities to students. The candidates studying this course also learn about the installation, quality analysis, and safety engineering of vehicles. This field has a great scope.

Candidates can also opt for higher education after attaining a bachelor’s degree in Automobile Engineering. Furthermore, an MBA is also a great option after completing a B.Tech. if the student wishes to enter the job market for a higher salary. Some candidates opt for an MTech and then a PhD in the same field to get in-depth knowledge about a particular subject and attain expertise in that field. 

Scope of Automobile Engineering

The Automobile industry has a great career prospectus. Automotive companies generally hire maintenance engineers or automotive inventors for the supervision and designing of vehicles. If the candidate opts for higher studies such as MBA, then, he/she can also enter into marketing, finance, or supply chain management. Besides that, candidates in this sector are taught about advanced technology like CAD, VLSI, AI, CAM, ERP, etc. Thus, all these would help them to become automobile designers at good companies. 

Skills Needed to Become an Automobile Engineer 

There are certain skills that an automobile engineer must have, you can develop these skills over time and make yourself an eligible choice for your future employers. 

Computer Skills 

Along with working on machines and motors, automobile engineers have to work on computers too. They need to use various software and computer-aided design applications and much more for the testing. That’s why it’s important to have in automobile engineering to have computer skills. 

Creative Skills 

The task of automobile engineers is to design and develop the different parts of automobiles. For this, they need to be creative in a way that they can create new designs and meet the safety, performance, technical and other criteria. 

Technical Knowledge 

To work on mechanical parts and understand the workings of automobiles, engineers need to have technical knowledge. The technological skills are the ones which will get you hired and that you will be using the most in your job. 

Problem-Solving Skills 

An automobile engineer has to have great problem-solving skills. Because in automobile engineering one may face several problems during the design development process, for which you need to develop problem-solving skills. 

Mathematical Skills 

Having mathematical skills is necessary for automobile engineers as they need to do accurate calculations of power, strength and other aspects of the machines they design.   

Career Options after Automobile Engineering 

There are several reputed and lucrative job roles that one can opt for after completing automobile engineering. Here are some of them. 

Automobile Designer 

The main role of the vehicle designer is to design the body, interface, components, and parts of different types of vehicles such as buses, cars, bikes, etc. Besides that, the designer is also involved in developing the electrical, mechanical, technical, and safety parts of the vehicles.  

Job Description 

An automobile designer has to work on designing, developing and reviewing automobiles. They have to create designs as per the client’s needs, and after they have the designs created, it needs to be got reviewed and then production work is started.  

Scope

With the rising demand for comfortable, secure and luxurious automobiles, the need for automobile designers is also increasing. So, one can pursue a career as an automobile designer without any doubt.  

Average Salary 

The average salary of an automobile designer in India is INR 5 LPA.  

Automobile Engineer 

The Automobile engineer generally deals with the hardware components that include manufacturing, designing as well as operating vehicles. They are involved in developing the exterior as well as interior parts of the vehicles.  

Job Description 

As an automobile engineer, your task is to develop Prototypes of the hardware component of automobiles, design the product, and check for any faults after production. 

Scope 

 The automobile engineer scope is vast, one can work in service stations, automobile manufacturing industries, private companies, state or government transport production plants etc.  

Average Salary 

On average, an automobile engineer earns INR 2 LPA in India. 

Bike and Car Mechanics

Automobile companies are producing a huge number of vehicles every year. This has led to increasing demand for bike and car mechanics. A bike or car mechanic is a professional who repairs any fault and replaces faulty parts with new ones. 

Job Description 

As a bike or car mechanic, your work will be to diagnose defects, dismantle and disassemble defective parts, scrap carbon from cylinders, fix dents and bents and run tests after all repairing.     

Scope 

Bike and car mechanics are always in demand, and with growing automobile numbers this job title can be said one of the career options after completing automobile engineering.  

Average Salary

The average salary of a car mechanic in India is INR 1 LPA. 

Automotive Sales Engineer 

Automotive sales engineers are professionals who have in-depth knowledge of various products and technologies developed by the company. They use this knowledge and their sales and communication skills to explain the company’s product to general customers and generate more sales. 

Job Description

The work of an automotive sales engineer is to make technical presentations to explain company products, do research about the needs and demands of customers, identify communication barriers between customers and the company, train other sales members about the technical aspect of the product and much more. 

Scope 

This is an in-demand career option that one can choose after automobile engineering. Every automobile company need professionals who can explain the features of their products to customers generate leads and increase sales. 

Average Salary

The average salary of an automotive sales engineer is INR 1 LPA in India. 

Quality Engineer 

A quality engineer is a professional who is in charge of monitoring the quality of manufactured products. The person is responsible for developing quality tests, implementing systems and ensuring that every product meets safety standards. 

Job Description 

As a quality engineer, one has to work on establishing and implementing quality standards, monitor workflows, and processes products, create quality documentation, and test and inspect the products and processes that meet the set standards.  

Scope 

Quality engineering is one of the best career options after automobile engineering. It’s not only a lucrative career but also has a high demand. Almost every automobile company needs a quality engineer to ensure that only the best quality products reach customers. 

Average Salary 

On average a quality engineer earns 2 LPA in India. 

Senior Production Engineer

This is another great automobile engineering scope one can choose. The senior production engineers work in the factories and manufacturing units, looking over the various facets of production. They work closely with engineers and the production team to ensure that company goals are met and quality products are manufactured on time. 

Job Description 

The responsibilities of a senior production engineer are supervising production work, improving production plans, and identifying risk factors at any level of production. Senior production engineer also has to communicate with the other managers, stakeholders production teams etc. 

Scope 

There is tremendous scope in this job opportunity, as a senior product engineer you can apply automobile production industry, IT industry, food processing companies, construction industries, refining and many other industries. 

Average Salary 

The average salary of a senior production engineer in India is INR 5 LPA.  

Mechanical Design Engineer 

Mechanical design engineers are professionals who use the principles of physics and engineering to design systems and devices. They design and develop new engine models along with working on the improvement of older ones. 

Job Description 

Mechanical engineers have to meet with clients to know their mechanical requirements, research the mechanical designs, plan execution using CAD, CAM, and 3D CAD programs, run virtual tests and computer simulations to refine designs and do other activities. 

Scope 

Yes, choosing to become a mechanical design engineer after automobile engineering is a great choice. There is always a huge demand for skilled mechanical design engineers in the aerospace industry, automobile industry, robotics and machine industries. 

Average Salary 

The average salary of a mechanical design engineer is INR 4.8 LPA in India. 

Also Read: Best Sample Mechanical Engineer Fresher Resumes

Automotive Service Advisor 

If you want a versatile career option after completing your automobile engineering then you can positively become an automotive service advisor. An automotive service advisor works as a liaison between the customer and the automobile technicians. They are people, customers communicate with first when they bring a car to the service centre, as advisors identify and advise the right servicing for your automobile. 

Job Description 

Greet and meet customers, and set a serving schedule aligning with customer and mechanics’ time. It is also their task to support dealership goals to generate more sales and inform new buyers about warranty and service schedules and much more. 

Scope 

There is good scope in this career choice too as most of the dealership shops require a professional who can communicate with customers and inform them about various products and services. 

Average Salary 

On average an automotive service advisor earns INR 2 LPA in India. 

Marketing Engineer 

Marketing engineers are professionals who have knowledge of both, the automobile and marketing. They use their knowledge to market the mechanical products of the company in front of people to increase sales. 

Job Description 

As a marketing engineer, your task will be to collect data on customer reviews related to products. Make strategies to promote and increase demand for the products. 

Scope 

There is a lot of scope for an automobile engineer in the marketing field. As an engineer knows better about the technical aspects of the product. They can create better marketing strategies and present the product accurately to clients.    

Average Salary 

The average salary of a marketing engineer in India is INR 3 LPA. 

Emerging Trends of Automobile Engineering

The future of automobile engineering is driven by innovation:

• Electric Vehicles (EVs) & Hybrid Technology: The growing demand for EVs necessitates engineers skilled in battery technology, electric motors, and charging infrastructure.
• Autonomous Vehicles & ADAS: The development of self-driving cars requires expertise in areas like artificial intelligence, sensor technology, and robotics.
• Connected Cars & Telematics: Engineers will be needed to design and integrate communication systems for connected car technologies.
• Focus on Sustainability: Developing eco-friendly vehicles and reducing emissions will be a key area for future automobile engineers.

Top Automobile Engineer Recruiters in India

To get a job in the automobile industry the candidate must possess a valid UG or PG degree in automobile engineering. Various top-notch companies conduct campus drives and visit colleges and universities to recruit freshers. Besides that, you can also apply in off-campus recruitment drives whenever the companies advertise the vacancy. 

Some top automotive engineering recruiters 

• Tata Consultancy Services 
• Capgemini 
• Maruti Suzuki 
• Volkswagen 
• Yamaha 
• L&T Technology Services 
• Mahindra 
• Hyundai Mobis 
• Toyota 
• Robert Bosch India 
• Bajaj Auto and many more. 

Make a Career in Automobile Engineering 

With the rise in the demand for quality automobiles among people, the need for skilled, creative and knowledgeable automobile engineers is also increasing. Choosing automobile engineering would be a great choice without any doubt. 

Furthermore, you get various choices of job titles that you can choose as per your interests and skills. Some of the best career options have already been discussed in the article. So, start your career journey as an automobile engineer today.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1 What does an Automobile Engineer do? 

Ans. Automobile Engineering is a broad field that constitutes various sectors such as manufacturing, vehicle supply, operating, repairing, etc. Thus, a vehicle engineer is a professional who not only invents and manufactures new vehicles but is also involved in modifying and updating existing vehicles. Lastly, the three major roles of an automotive engineer are the design, manufacturing, and functioning of the vehicles. 

Q.2 Is Automobile engineering a good career? 

Ans. Automotive Engineering is a great career for those who have a deep interest in vehicles and technology. This field offers remarkable career opportunities, especially for graduate students. In India, there is a huge demand for automotive engineers due to advancements in technology. Thus, the advancement in technology is gradually boosting the automobile sector.  

Q.3 How can I become an Automotive Engineer after the 12th? 

Ans. You must fulfil the basic requirements to become an automotive engineer. Firstly, the candidate must have passed class 12th with PCM stream with a minimum of 50% marks. Then, you need to appear in the entrance exam for engineering to get admission to top colleges in India. Furthermore, you need to get admission to the UG program with automotive engineering as the stream. Some candidates further apply for master’s courses to become automotive engineers. 

Q.4 What is the scope of the Automobile industry? 

Ans. The automotive industry is expected to grow by 2026. Advancement in technology leads to the increasing demand for professionals who can design, implement, repair, as well as, operate automobiles. Thus, graduates having automotive knowledge can work in production plants, service stations, automobile manufacturing companies, road Transport corporations, etc. Some candidates also opt to pursue higher education and pursue a PhD in automotive or vehicle engineering and become a professor. 

Q.5 What can I do after Automotive Engineering? 

Ans. It is an extensive field; you can get numerous job opportunities after graduation. You can either work in automotive industries and manufacturing companies or become a professor in engineering colleges. Thus, this field opens the door to various job opportunities. Some of the job profiles after Automotive Engineering: 

• Tool developers 
• Module developers 
• Vehicle manufacturer 
• Senior production engineer 
• Quality Engineer 
• Mechanical Design Engineer 
• Automotive Sales Engineer 
• Product development engineer 
• Professor