What Are The Career Prospects In Automobile Designing: Salary And Courses

Undeniably, we all love cars and bikes. Who wouldn't? The growling engines housed in a beautiful guise are a sheer pleasure to watch, hear and admire. The world, especially India, never falls short of automobile enthusiasts who keep searching for pictures of modern automobiles on the Internet. Some go a step further and keep doodling different models on the last pages of their notepads, which are either their imagination or a famous model from a well-known brand.

While doing so, you must have often imagined being an automobile designer. The sketches you make may be enthralling and the viewers might be suggesting you venture into the creative and intriguing profession of automotive designing. But, this is where the main problem lies.

Probably, you don't know exactly how to acquire the necessary certification for it and become a professional. Read on to know what automobile designing is all about, how to enter the field and what are the career prospects.

What Do Automobile Designers Do

Firstly, you should know that the attention-seeking or mundane cars which we see plying on the road are designed by highly creative people who are not just the masters of designing but are also experts in physics. The combination of both is crucial to design automobiles which are attractive as well as geometrically and aerodynamically flawless.

Although aspiring designers are more inclined towards the outer beauty, the professionals have to work in three areas including exterior designing, interior designing and colour designing.

Exterior designing involves creating the visual form of the vehicle while considering its aerodynamics and usability. This is done with the help of 3D designing software and sculpture models. On the other hand, interior designing is where the professionals need to design the interiors of the car including its seat, dashboard and all the other features which decide its convenience and comfort level.

Lastly, the colour designing segment takes care of the appropriate shades for the car, their quality and longevity. Apart from just the visuals, automobile designers also need to take care of the scientific concepts such as the engine power, which influences the shape and weight of the car.

How Can You Become An Automobile Designer

Automobile designers are highly creative professionals who, along with being experts in aesthetic creation, are well versed with the science and engineering involved behind producing vehicles. There is not just one but different ways of entering this domain.

Once you have completed your 10+2 education, there are several options for undergraduate programs which can help you make a career in this field. However, you need to make sure your higher secondary education consisted of subjects including physics, chemistry and maths.

The institutes which offer undergraduate courses in this field are:

DYPDC School of Design, Pune - BDes in automobile design
Unitedworld Institute of Design, Ahmedabad - Automobile and Transportation Design
Symbiosis International University, Pune - Bachelor of Designing
Symbiosis International University, Noida - Bachelor of Designing
School of Design Studies, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun - Bachelor of Design

The above institutes accept admissions based on common or dedicated entrance exams and the same applies for postgraduate programs as well. Now, the institutes which offer postgraduate courses in designing are:

National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar - MDes in transportation and automobile design
Industrial Design Centre, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Bombay - MDes in mobility and vehicle design

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Delhi - MDes in transportation design
MIT Institute of Design, Pune - MDes in transportation design

What Is The Career Scope

Iconic designers such as Dilip Chhabria have created an example for budding automobile designers in India. However, the scope for automobile designing in India is limited as compared to some other countries.

The designing of automobiles is executed at the research and development centres of the companies which are mostly located outside India. But, this is set it evolve in the coming years as India has one of the fastest-growing automobile markets.

Tata Motors is one of the leading companies which had its R&D centre in India but since its collaboration with JLR, the centre has been shifted abroad. However, after acquiring necessary qualification, you can move to a foreign country to work in this sector where there is humongous scope. Brands such as Eicher, Ashok Leyland and TVS still have their development centres in India and they could be a set of options to try for.

The initial salary of an automobile designer in India may range between 4 to 6 lakhs per annum which could go up to 20 lakhs or above based on one's experience.