In India, the Automobile Industry has been a catalyst of major employment for quite some time. Even during the global recession, the auto industry recorded sales in huge numbers. It is one of the main sectors to provide jobs to qualified people in manufacturing industries, production plants, service centres, dealerships, government transport corporations, insurance companies, used cars department, spare parts department and so on.

Following economic liberalisation, Indian domestic Automobile Companies like Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra have expanded their production and export operations in and across the country and since then the industry has only shown signs of growth and prosperity. Even global Automobile giants like Hyundai, Honda and Toyota have laid their foundation in the Indian territory thus creating ample amount of job opportunities. From a Sales Manager to a Spare Parts Manager, there is indeed a wide range of career prospects to choose from. The Automobile Industry comprises of heavy vehicles (trucks, buses, tempos and tractors), passenger cars, and two-wheelers.

For MBA Graduates, there are a lot of opportunities in Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain and Finance areas. MBA graduates can work in sales teams to help companies increase market share; marketing teams to help develop and implement branding strategy; supply chain teams to help optimize the supply chain efficiency and control costs; or in Finance to help augment sales through sales and Financing, to raise capital for expansion and new projects and support building Investor relations and implementing mergers and acquisitions strategy.

Globalisation and robust growth of technology have resulted in abundant opportunities for people willing to explore in the Automobile Industry. Let’s discuss some of the leading and promising careers in this industry that ensure dignity and a bright future.

Gear up for different roles in this sector:

• Corporate Communication Manager
• Finance/Insurance Manager
• Sales Associate/Manager
• Accessories Manager
• Internet Sales Manager
• Spare Parts Manager
• Automotive Service Manager
• Customer Relationship Manager

Corporate Communication Manager - Corporate communicators research, write, plan, edit, design, and implement everything from strategic communications plans to employee newsletters. They create communications strategies that influence employee attitudes, shift stockholders' opinions and tell the company's or a new product's story to the media. The role is somewhat similar to a Public Relations Executive.

Finance/Insurance Manager - More of a money person? Finance and insurance department of a car dealership are a good opportunity. People looking to buy a new car will need Financing and insurance in order to purchase it. You would have to work with sales staff, management and lenders (and of course the customer) to do your job. You would oversee all Financing and monetary inflows and concessions of the dealership on all car sales/leases and purchases. You would have to ensure the dealership makes a fair amount of money whenever people buy a car.

Sales Associate/Manager - If you enjoy communicating with people, becoming a Sales Associate or a Sales Manager may be the perfect career for you. You would spend the majority of your day trying to sell cars to people who visited the showroom. Your salary would be based on the amount of commissions you earn. You can also work your way up the ladder into a higher managerial position as you gain further experience. Sales Managers review market analysis to determine consumer needs, estimate volume potential for various car models and develop sales campaigns to accomplish dealerships goals.

Accessories Manager - If you have a penchant for car accessories, you may consider the role of an Accessories Manager. An Automobile Accessories Manager usually works in a dealership or an independent shop. His main duty is to get in contact with potential customers who visit the shop and to sell them the required automobile accessories like music system, amplifiers, tweeters, reverse sensors, alloys, car perfumes etc.

Internet Sales Manager - Similar to a floor salesperson is the Internet Sales Manager. Instead of working with people who visited the showroom, you would work with leads received from the internet. Some of these leads come in direct due to the dealer’s website advertising; others come in from affiliated websites who work with you to sell cars. One such example is a site named ‘Internet Autoguide’. Whenever you get these internet leads, you would have to make an appointment to try to get the person into the dealership to buy a car. This is one of the best paying and most sought-after positions in auto sales.

Spare Parts Manager - Spare Parts Managers serve a vital role in auto supply stores and car dealership service centres. A Spare Parts Manager must understand enough about how cars work to determine how many pieces of each inventory item must always be in the store while helping with customer service when necessary. As one of these professionals, you may also manage staff, which means understanding basic human resources regulations.

Automotive Service Manager - An Automotive Service Manager works in the repair department of a car sales dealership. Service Managers must ensure that customers are satisfied. Providing service that's highly appreciated by customers can be a challenging task, since negotiations about costs and completion deadlines may be heated at times. Sometimes, automotive repair customers disagree with charges for labour or parts, as well as the amount of time their vehicle takes to be repaired. The automotive service manager must keep a friendly tone while working with the customer to create a positive outcome.

Customer Relationship Manager - A Customer Relationship Manager has a challenging and ever-evolving role to play when it comes to optimising the customer experience. S/he will not only solve customer requests but will proactively offer ideas and insights to improve the customer's issues and challenges. Their main duty is to follow up potential leads which are generated through walk-in enquiries and ensure complete satisfaction and maximum utilisation of the product or services sold to customers.

The Indian Automobile Industry has been on top gear ever since the complete de-licensing in 1991. Even when the global Auto Industry went into reverse gear in 2009, the Indian Industry bucked the trend and is expected to become the world's third largest automobile market by 2030! So the opportunities surrounding the Automobile Industry is vast. Anyone who is passionate about cars or bikes can opt for a career in the Automobile Industry. Not only is the Industry high-paying, the incentive after completion of targets is something worth bragging about.

Institutes offering courses in MBA (Automotive):

XLRI Management Institute, Jamshedpur

Indus Business Academy, Bangalore

Indian Institutes of Management (All IIM’S)

Indian School of Business, Hyderabad

Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi

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