Automotive industry full speed ahead

Automotive industry: Full speed ahead towards the future

As an engineer you can work not only with the big automotive players…

By Leila Weltersbach

The tradition-steeped German automotive industry is facing its greatest challenge. While their sales are still increasing year after year, the vehicle industry is lagging behind the so-called 4. Revolution behind. Keywords like Digitalization and networking – but also the new environmental awareness – accompany the fundamental change of an industry, that is reinventing itself. Smart cars and electric cars are powered by data-driven computing and innovative battery technology – and are on the rise.

There are currently around 832.000 employees in the automotive industry in Germany and in 2019 an annual turnover of 436.2 billion euros was achieved. The German automotive industry is World export champion and the most important industry of all. However, the automotive sector was hit particularly hard by the Corona pandemic and new car registrations fell by 41.5% in the first 5 months of 2020, but are now slowly rising again.

What's in store for you?

In the automotive industry you develop, design, construct and produce motor vehicles. Most engineering graduates go on to work for the major German vehicle manufacturers or their suppliers. There, you will usually specialize in design or production right from the start. But you can also work as an engineer in project management or technical sales. Exciting areas of specialization in automotive engineering are

– prototype construction, vehicle mechatronics, – chassis technology, – engine technology, – body design and construction, – vehicle simulation, – as well as technical acoustics.

Among the lasting challenges facing the automotive industry include improving the Vehicle safety as well as sustainability and environmental friendliness. Environmental technology measures in vehicle manufacturing are z.B. Reducing pollutant emissions through the use of alternative fuels. The use of sustainable materials. In order to further improve the safety of cars, work is being done on mechatronic elements such as the safety control system.B. Airbags. ABS refined. Digital driver assistance systems to fully automated vehicles are expected to make roads safer for all road users. Here, development is still in its infancy – as is dealing with the numerous legal and ethical-moral issues that pure computer control entails.

The new, technology-driven trends in the automotive industry offer you completely new, exciting fields of activity in which you, as an engineer, will work closely with other specialist areas and often take on an interface function. Through Innovations from parking aids to fully autonomous driving, electric motors and CarIT driving should not only become increasingly stress-free, but above all more time-saving, safer and environmentally conscious. If the German government has its way, there should be no more diesel cars as early as 2030 and, in perspective, no more fuel-powered vehicles at all. Instead, the electric car industry is driven by investment. Your employment figures are increasing.

Where you can work?

The automotive industry is not limited to the major car manufacturers, even though they provide a very large share of jobs: Many vehicle engineers are employed by one of the 3 major German automotive groups. But suppliers to the automotive industry are also attractive employers for you as an engineer. The majority of vehicle technology innovations take place at suppliers and manufacturers of all types of automotive components.

Electrical engineering in particular is often purchased externally – just like special composite materials for vehicle parts, which are becoming more resistant and at the same time increasingly lighter. Information technology is also becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry. From infotainment systems to driver assistance, telematics and artificial intelligence, turning the car into an internally and externally networked "computer on wheels" make. You can also work for engineering service providers for the automotive industry and in the testing and expert sector.

You can find engineering jobs in the automotive industry in all German states. Due to the large corporations located there, Southern Germany offers the largest selection of employers, but there are also automotive manufacturers and suppliers in other regions. Across the country, around 50 different passenger car series are produced at approx. 20 locations produced. Most companies in the automotive industry are located in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia and eastern Germany. In the north, car manufacturers are rather moderately represented. In addition to Daimler AG, Porsche and Audi, a total of ca. 960 companies in the automotive industry – most of them suppliers.

As an entry-level engineer in the automotive industry, you will earn on average 48.200 € gross per year. Your salary depends on the field of work, your degree, the size of the company and the federal state. Find out how much you can earn with your individual requirements in our salary calculator.

Employers for engineers from the automotive industry

– thyssenkrupp

1 ING job Weinsberg

– IAV

3 ING jobs Munich, Ingolstadt, Chemnitz +3

–

62 ING jobs Munich, Ingolstadt, Sindelfingen +13

– The German automotive industry is an employer rich in tradition. The so-called 4. Industrial revolution is currently transforming the entire industry.
– Typical employers for you as a vehicle engineer are the large German car manufacturers, suppliers and commercial vehicle manufacturers.
– You develop, design, simulate and produce motor vehicles. Alternative drive technologies and the networking of vehicles currently offer an exciting field of development.