Automotive Designer Salary: Courses, Scope, Car Designer Salary

Automotive Design is one of the most steadily rising fields of work in the world. Naturally, the demand for its courses in design schools has spruced up as well. While Automotive Design has always been a job in the niche category in the past, it has started to become more mainstream in recent times. The estimated growth of the Automotive industry is around 7.5% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate).

As Automotive Design is pursued by more students as a career option now, let’s dive deep into the Automotive Designer Salary in the market, and how it is expected to increase further. Additionally, we learn about the courses in this field, the scope of an Automotive Designer, and much more.

Automotive Designer Salary

At an entry level, the automotive designer average salary in India ranges somewhere between INR 3-6 LPA. For some, it may range up to INR 8 LPA at the start, depending upon the skill set of the student.

Mid to Senior level designers (few years of work experience or Master’s), can earn somewhere between INR 15-20 LPA and it can reach up to INR 30 LPA for Lead Design. Designations also determine the Automotive Designer Salary.

Skills like CAD software, 3D modeling, aerodynamics, and automotive engineering, also enhance one’s skills and thereby increase their salary.

Entry-Level Salaries

As mentioned above, here are the entry-level salaries for each of these designer positions:

• Car Designer Salary – INR 3-5 LPA
• Automotive Designer Salary – INR 4-6 LPA

Mid-Career Salaries

After spending a few years in the Automotive Industry, designers get the hang of how things operate at an industrial level. They not only start meeting demands regularly but also deadlines; start taking on more responsibilities and work and are good at what they do. Due to the development of all these qualities, the salary also increases. These designers generally are given the position of Senior Designer / Senior Automotive Designer. The salary ranges from:

• For 1-3 years – INR 5 – 8 LPA
• For 4-7 years – INR 7 – 12 LPA
• For 8+ years – INR 11 – 20 LPA

As always, factors such as employee quality, company size, reputation, market size, the volatility of the market, the region they are based on, etc., affect the above-mentioned salary ranges.

Senior-Level Salaries

Senior-level Automotive Designers are those who have spent above 10 years in the industry, honing their talent and learning new ways to come up with creative designs and solutions. They are generally considered experts in their field.

Experienced Lead Designers can get a salary ranging from INR 15 – 23 LPA and can further go upwards to INR 30-40 LPA.

Education & Training: Courses for Automotive Designers

Several colleges and Universities in India offer either an undergraduate course a post-graduate course or both. The Undergraduate course – Bachelors of Design (B.Des) in Automotive Design or Transportation Design is typically for 4 years. The Post Graduate course – Masters of Design (M.Des) is for an additional 2 years after that. The typical annual fee for a design school that teaches Automotive Design courses is around INR 6-7 LPA. The tuition fee at Strate School of Design is INR 6.5 LPA per year.

Here are some of the institutes that offers Top Automotive Design courses in India:

• Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay offers both Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in ‘Mobility and Vehicle Design’.
• Strate School of Design offers both Undergraduate and Postgraduate course in Transportation Design (which covers Automotive and Car Design).

• World University of Design offers a 1-year Diploma in Professional Automotive Modeling, as well as both Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in Transportation Design.
• MIT Art, Design, and Technology University offers an Automotive Design course as a Diploma, an Undergraduate, and a Postgraduate course.

• The National Institute of Design offers Post Graduation (M.Des) degree in Transportation and Automobile Design.

Career Scope & Opportunities

Pursuing a career in Automotive Design opens up a long list of jobs for all individuals. As the demand for jobs in this specific field increases by the day, here are some of the designations that are available after graduating as an Automotive Designer:

• Automotive Designer
• Automotive Design Strategist
• Roadway Design
• Production Designer
• CAD Specialist
• Conceptual Designer
• CMF Designer
• Design Manager
• Ergonomics Lead

Global Opportunities after Automotive Designing Course

As discussed, pursuing an Automotive Design or Transportation Design course opens up plenty of opportunities for an individual. These opportunities, while still novel and growing in India, have been around in abundance for a while in the Global scale. Countries like Japan, Germany, and Italy have led the Automobile revolution in the 21st century. With automobile companies like Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki, etc., Japan has already made an impact on the Global map.

Similarly, Germany offered world brands like Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc., and Italy offered brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, etc. Several other countries have their own marquee luxury car companies.

All these companies have been hiring at a major level to meet its global mass production. The global automotive industry is poised to grow by CAGR 6.77% for period of 2023 – 2033. Passenger vehicle sales are back to pre-pandemic levels. The brands are becoming cost-sensitive to compete in lower range segment of passenger cars.

Therefore, car companies are always under pressure to come up with something unique, efficient, and customer friendly. Exterior Design Specialist, Concept Car Designer, Design Research Analyst, Vehicle Design Engineer, etc., are just some of the positions that are always in high demand in the above-mentioned companies globally.

One should also be adept with multiple languages, have a strong portfolio, gain enough internships, and complete their educations and certifications, to increase their chances of getting hired by a global brand.

What is the Car Designer Salary?

The Car Designer Salary at the entry level get paid around INR 3-5 LPA in India. In some cases, depending on brand value, company reputation, and size, some designers even get paid up to INR 8 LPA.

A Car Designer, when hired by a company, learns the trades of the job. His. Their initial few years are spent learning to match the industry demands, knowing what skills are required to do so, and closely observing the seniors in the industry to try and learn from them. Once experienced, the salary goes up to INR 20 – 30 LPA.

What are the Highest Paid Car Brands in India?

The highest-paid car brands in India are a mix-bag of global companies as well as Indian brands. These automobile companies have multiple branches in India, scattered across the major cities in the country. Here are the brands that value the car designer salary in India the most:

1.    Ola

Ola Electric has 3733 employees, with thousands more in its other departments. They also hire automotive designers for a salary of INR 22-24 LPA.

2.    Bajaj Auto

With nearly 9000 employees, Bajaj Auto pays somewhere between INR 6-12 LPA to its engineers and INR 15-16 LPA to its designers.

3.    Mahindra & Mahindra

This Indian automobile company, helmed by Anand Mahindra, has a total of 68,414 employees working for them. They pay their designers between INR 5-11 LPA.

4.    Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki is an Indian subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. Maruti Suzuki India alone has 23,922 employees. They pay their designers between INR 4.5 – 10 LPA.

5.    BMW

This German car brand employs over 154,950 employees worldwide. They pay their designers somewhere between INR 6-10 LPA for India location.

6.    Tata Motors

Tata Motors is India’s richest car company that employs around 91,496 employees. It pays its car designers somewhere around INR 4-9 LPA.

In conclusion, Automotive Design will create far more jobs in India, between both global and local companies. The automotive designer’s average salary is also likely to rise, and there will be several more colleges and Universities that teach this course in their colleges. Be it Automotive Design, Transportation Design, or Car Design, each of these courses corresponds to the other.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.    What is the starting salary for an automobile designer in India?

The growth of passenger vehicles & EV in India has led to new startups in segment. Also, the starting salary might seem less, it grows exponentially with experience. The starting salary is INR 3-5 LPA for an automotive designer

2.    Which automotive companies in India pay the highest salaries to their employees?

Companies like Ola Electric, Bajaj Auto, and Mahindra and Mahindra are the highest-paying companies to automobile designers in India.

3.    What is the average salary for a car designer?

At the entry level (fresher) the automotive designer average salary in India ranges somewhere between INR 4 to 6 LPA. For an experienced designer, the salary ranges from INR 8 – 20 LPA