# 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.

- **SOC code:** 17-2141.02
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2141-02
- **Also known as:** Engineer, Product Engineer, Project Engineer, Research Engineer, Dimensional Integration Engineer, Automotive Designer, Automotive Engineer, Automotive Power Electronics Engineer
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing.
- Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel.
- Perform failure, variation, or root cause analyses.
- Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems.
- Design or analyze automobile systems in areas such as aerodynamics, alternate fuels, ergonomics, hybrid power, brakes, transmissions, steering, calibration, safety, or diagnostics.
- Prepare or present technical or project status reports.
- Establish production or quality control standards.
- Conduct research studies to develop new concepts in the field of automotive engineering.
- Alter or modify designs to obtain specified functional or operational performance.
- Research or implement green automotive technologies involving alternative fuels, electric or hybrid cars, or lighter or more fuel-efficient vehicles.
- Develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools.
- Create design alternatives for vehicle components, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative air-conditioning systems, to increase fuel efficiency.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Engineering and Technology _(knowledge)_
- Physics _(knowledge)_
- Mathematics _(knowledge)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(transferable_skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Physics _(Specialized Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Systems Analysis _(Specialized Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Python _(hot technology, in demand)_
- The MathWorks MATLAB _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology)_
- Atlassian Confluence _(hot technology)_
- Atlassian JIRA _(hot technology)_
- C _(hot technology)_
- C# _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 85th percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 74th percentile (High) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 88th percentile (High) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 82nd percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 7th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 9.1% growth (Growing fast); 18.1k annual openings; 293.1k → 319.6k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $102,320; 286,760 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 30% automation, 56% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Write, review, or maintain engineering documentation. _(2.4% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Prepare or present technical or project status reports. _(0.8% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools. _(0.3% of measured AI use; learning)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me write, review, or maintain engineering documentation.
- Help me prepare or present technical or project status reports.
- Help me develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

---
_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2141-02_