Automotive Engineers
Develop new or improved designs for vehicle structural members, engines, transmissions, or other vehicle systems, using computer-assisted design technology. Direct building, modification, or testing of vehicle or components.
$104,110 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 92%
- 1%
- 7%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 25 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Design or analyze automobile systems in areas such as aerodynamics, alternate fuels, ergonomics, hybrid power, brakes, transmissions, steering, calibration, safety, or diagnostics.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Design vehicles that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic, to improve fuel efficiency.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Conduct research studies to develop new concepts in the field of automotive engineering.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.5 work weeks4.2 work days to 1.9 work months | 0%Half by Nov 2029 | |
| Research or implement green automotive technologies involving alternative fuels, electric or hybrid cars, or lighter or more fuel-efficient vehicles.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Create design alternatives for vehicle components, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative air-conditioning systems, to increase fuel efficiency.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 7% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Design control systems or algorithms for purposes such as automotive energy management, emissions management, or increased operational safety or performance.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Build models for algorithm or control feature verification testing.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Jun 2028 | |
| Research computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Establish production or quality control standards.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | 2%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 3.3 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Nov 2028 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.