The career in the automotive industry is a highly lucrative career option among the individuals. It is a rapidly increasing industry and offers huge scope for professionals. India is witnessing a rapid growth in the automation industry and according to a report of SIAM, the growth rate of the industry is around 12% every year.
The month of September alone has seen a 29% job improvement in the automotive sector as compared to the previous months. It is one of the significant contributors in the Indian Economy which provides nearly 7% GDP growth by providing huge job opportunities and impressive prospects for candidates.
With switching to sustainable mode of transportation, the Indian automotive market will see a growing demand in the automobile sectors for shared mobility and EVs. According to an estimate, by 2030, India could be a leader in the automotive sector.
Table of Contents
1.1 What Does an Automotive Designer Do?
1.2 Eligibility to Become an Automotive Designer
3.1 Top Careers
5.2 Experience-Wise
What is Automotive Design?
Automotive Designing is a unique and creative technique of developing the physical appearance of any motor vehicle such as trucks, cars, motorcycles, etc. This includes both exterior and interior designing.
- It is a process of improving the aesthetics, sstyle, aerodynamics, ergonomics and appearance of automobiles.
- It is one of the fastest growing sectors among other designers and needs of the current era for creating more efficient and better vehicles.
- Most of the best automotive designers have a good knowledge of arts and creative sensibility.
- This primarily deals with creating the aesthetics of the vehicles and is likewise involved in the creation of product concepts.
- Graphic design is also a major part in the field of automotive designing, because the design not only focuses on the hardware components of an automobile but also its combination, software and functions.
What does an Automotive Designer Do?
The main work of an Automotive Designer is to curate an effective design for the hardware components, its appearance and the ergonomics of vehicles. Some of the other job responsibilities of an automotive designer are
- They draft layouts of the hardware components of an automobile, assemblies and systems using the sketches, prototypes and its models.
- They also prepare preliminary sketches of the automobile designs including its exterior and interior design and the scheme of colour.
- They do research about the current body style of the automobile and alter it according to the recent trends.
- They develop three dimensional mockups including trim, headlights, grill, taillights and exhaust systems using Computer-aided design or CAD software.
- They create Pro-E models and convert the large drawing packages for particle accelerator assembly.
Eligibility to Become an Automotive Designer
To become a successful automotive designer one must have to satisfy some eligibility criteria before moving towards the career. Below we have given the eligibility criteria for this career
- Students must hold a bachelor degree in automobile designing or automotive engineering.
- Having an undergraduate degree in industrial design or transportation design is also considered for this career.
- They must have a good knowledge in 3d designing, drawing, colour scheme, CAD, industrial materials and model making.
- Candidates with a postgraduate degree in transportation design and automotive and product design are also eligible.
Books for Becoming an Automotive Designer
Before starting a career in the field of automotive, one should have a good understanding as well as knowledge of automotive designing and it's different aspects. Below we have given a comprehensive list of some of the best automotive designers for beginners who want to strong it's fundamentals and for students who want to get an in-depth understanding
- Automotive Mechanics by S. Srinivasan
- Robotics and Automation Handbook by Thomas R. Kurfess
- Automotive Technician Master by Graham Stoakes
- Clutch and Brakes Design and Selection by William C. Orthwein
- How to Illustrate & Design Concept Cars by Adrian Dewey
- Automobile Suspensions by Colin Campbell
Automotive Designer Career Paths
Mostly, an automotive designer works with an automobile styles team in the period of designing the process of a vehicle. At entry level job positions, they work as an interior designer or an exterior designer in companies. Their job role is to design the interior and exterior part of the vehicle so that it can be comfortable and functional. As their career goes forwards, they can be promoted to some higher level position which are given below
Top Careers
The top careers available as an Automotive Designer have been discussed below:
Chief Designer
- They oversee the innovation and design aspects of the products and services of automobile companies.
- They stay updated with the recent industry trends and create a new host of ideas for the companies.
Prototype Engineer
- They create, and conceptualize new designing products, develop their prototype and test the product designs.
- They oversee the process of automotive designing and developing a prototype product.
Mechanical Engineer
- They develop technical plans and design companies' automotive products on the basis of their research ideas and company requirements.
- Their work is to measure the performance of mechanical components, devices and engines.
Design Engineer
- A design engineer job role is to analyse the current engineering technology used in the companies and create steps as well as processes for its improvement.
- They maintain the various aspects of project work from its design to safety and find cost effective solutions.
Project Engineer
- They maintain the project team and prepare, schedule, coordinate as well as monitor the assigned projects.
- They also interact with the customers, find their requirements, assist them with the most popular trend and do the work accordingly.
Automotive Designer Job Prospects
After completing a course in Automotive Designing, candidates can look out of variou job opportunities in various areas. Some of the most popular job roles of an Automotive Designer are described in the table below along with their job description and average annual salary package
| Job Profile | Job Description | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive Design Drafter | Their job role is to create and design sketches of different vehicle components and to perform the necessary mathematical formulas to ensure the safety of passengers. They utilise the CAD software to create electronic designs and work with the engineer to check the design. | INR 3.35 LPA |
| Automotive Product Designer | They create and improve the body components of an automobile such as its body, parts or accessories and aesthetic parts of the vehicles. They also develop low-fidelity mockups, prototypes of the vehicles as well as tests and crafts for the final product. | INR 3.43 LPA |
| Automotive Architect | They plan, program, research, design and administer the auto products of the companies. They typically prepare the mechanical part of the automobile or its blueprints. | INR 2.90 LPA |
| Automotive Engineers | They are concerned with the designing and development of automobiles vehicles such as cars, trucks and buses. They predict the automobile or the behaviour of components such as engines, lights under several conditions using the latest CAD software. | INR 4.55 LPA |
Top Recruiting Areas
Below we have given some of the top recruiting areas for the job roles of an automotive designers
- Information Technology Firms
- Automobile Firms
- Production Firms
- Architectural Firms
- Graphic Designing Firms
Top Recruiting Companies
Some of the top recruiters which hire automotive designers are given below in table
| Reliance | Shell | Mahindra |
| Mahindra & Mahindra | Volkswagen | Maruti |
| Delphi | L&T Infotech | BOSCH |
| TVS | Tata Motors | NTPC |
| Ashok Leyland | ONGC | BEML |
Salary of an Automotive Designer
The automotive designer can find job opportunities in both Government and Private Companies as different job roles. The average salary of an automotive designer typically ranges between INR 4 to 8 Lakhs per annum. This may increase or decrease depending upon the job roles and the organisation. Below we have a table wise salary of an automotive designer on the basis of their organisation and experience.
Organization Wise
| Organization Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Tata Motors | INR 2.5 LPA |
| TVS | INR 4.5 LPA |
| OLA Electric | INR 4.9 LPA |
| Maruti Suzuki | INR 2.3 LPA |
| Tata Consultancy Services | INR 8.0 LPA |
| Robert Bosch India | INR 7.8 LPA |
| L&T Tech L&T Technology Services | INR 4.1 LPA |
| Hyundai Motor | INR 4.5 LPA |
| Volkswagen | INR 4.3 LPA |
| Delphi | INR 5.6 LPA |
Experience Wise
| Experience Level | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level | INR 2.73 LPA |
| Early Career | INR 7.50 LPA |
| Mid Career | INR 8.33 LPA |
| Experienced | INR 18.0 LPA |
Pros and Cons of Becoming an Automotive Designer
The automotive industry is an ever changing sector in the current era. With the increase in latest technology, various kinds of new software designs are resulting in the increase in the number of job opportunities. While having this rapid growth, there are some cons in this sector. Below we have shared some of the pros and cons of the automotive designer
Pros
- It provides an immense growth in your creative and aesthetic skills.
- Provides an individual to do their experiments and use innovative ideas.
- Provides you with the right skills and knowledge along with a handsome salary package.
- Opportunity to add value to the company products and make them fit for practical use.
- Building a portfolio and staying updated about the latest technology.
Cons
- Candidates need to be continuously creative which may exhaust their mind.
- Independent automotive designers have to look for new products.
- Need to be creative otherwise it may result in a slow process.
- Having a skill and knowledge about the industry, but it has a slow job growth.
Skills Required to Become a Automotive Designer
| Layout | Unigraphics |
| Powertrain | Autocad |
| Finite Element Analysis | Solid Models |
| Cost Reduction | A-Surface |
| Catia | Automotive Interiors |
| Engineering Drawings | Graphics Designing |
Automotive Designer Job Opportunities FAQs
Ques. Is there a demand for automotive designers?
Ans. As the global car making companies are looking for low cost countries for expansion, and looks and styles are getting importance among the consumers, the demands for automotive designers are increasing in the country. Experts say that as many as 100,000 jobs will open up in the near future.
Ques. Is automotive design a good career?
Ans. Automotive designing is a very competitive job domain. One must have a high level of academic degrees searching for entry level job positions. However, one must have a good knowledge about the design and experience other than the college degree.
Ques. How do I get a job as an automotive designer?
Ans. To become an automotive designer, one must have a bachelor's degree in automotive design or engineering. Then look for some technical colleges and universities that have the automation program. Gain skills and experience in the particular industry.
Ques. What automotive jobs pay the most?
Ans. Automotive Service Director, Director Automotive, Automotive Corporate, Automotive Sales Manager are the highest paying job roles in this industry.
Ques. What is the salary of an automotive designer in India?
Ans. The highest salary of an automotive designer is around INR 67,410 per month and the lowest salary an automotive designer gets is only INR 20,000 per month.
Ques. What are the employment areas of automotive designers?
Ans. Information technology firms, automobile,
Production firms, architectural firms are some of the employment areas for automotive designers.
Ques. Which course is best for automotive designing?
Ans. MDes in Transportation Design, B.Tech in Automotive Designing or Engineering, M.Tech in Automobile Engineering are some of the courses you can pursue. B.Tech in Industrial Engineering or Transportation Design is also beneficial.
Ques. What skills do you need to be an automobile designer?
Ans. Innovative ability and artistic capacity are a given if you need to turn into an automotive designer, there are likewise various different abilities that are similarly significant. For example, viable communicators and great listening skills.
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