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Transportation equipment engineers

How to become an Automotive Engineer

Also called: Bus body design engineer, Automotive production engineer, Automotive design engineer, Car parts design engineer

Plans, designs, develops and tests cars, manages production line processes, and gives technical guidance to and supervises production workers.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualification is required to start. New graduates have often studied mechanical, electrical or electronic engineering, chemistry, physics, maths or computer engineering. Many mid-career hires move from car-related industries or other carmakers. After joining, you are placed in a carmaker's research and development department, where you repeatedly plan, develop and test within a project team in your area. Some move to a factory, take charge of a large production line and become the head of a production site. Related qualifications include the private CAD engineer qualification. Above all, a strong interest in cars is essential. In your department you need the logical thinking to write and understand reports, manuals, design criteria and standards, and the communication skills to put across your ideas clearly and accurately. It is also important to gather information on other makers' new cars and always take an interest in new technology and design trends. A feel for car design and styling is needed too, as are imagination and creativity to bring something new to structure and design. On top of this, you need experience and skill using the large computers and CAD used for simulation testing.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become an Automotive Engineer?

No particular education or qualification is required to start. New graduates have often studied mechanical, electrical or electronic engineering, chemistry, physics, maths or computer engineering. Many mid-career hires move from car-related industries or other carmakers. After joining, you are placed in a carmaker's research and development department, where you repeatedly plan, develop and test within a project team in your area. Some move to a factory, take charge of a large production line and become the head of a production site. Related qualifications include the private CAD engineer qualification. Above all, a strong interest in cars is essential. In your department you need the logical thinking to write and understand reports, manuals, design criteria and standards, and the communication skills to put across your ideas clearly and accurately. It is also important to gather information on other makers' new cars and always take an interest in new technology and design trends. A feel for car design and styling is needed too, as are imagination and creativity to bring something new to structure and design. On top of this, you need experience and skill using the large computers and CAD used for simulation testing.

How much does an Automotive Engineer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥7,253,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Transportation equipment engineers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become an Automotive Engineer?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 70% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of an Automotive Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026