Let's talk about the state and scope of the industry today. In 2006, 49 million new cars were sold around the globe, and those new cars joined the approximately 800 million vehicles already on the roads. By 2020, that number will reach 1 billion. Currently, those vehicles burn nearly 250 billion gallons of fuel yearly.

The United States, Japan, China, Germany, and South Korea are currently the top five automobile manufacturing nations, but you'll find automotive operations in India, Latin America, the Middle East, and the rest of Europe as well. The industry is an economic powerhouse, with revenues in 2006 of over $85 billion, accounting for almost 10% of world consumer trade and 13% of manufacturing exports worldwide. Product categories include passenger cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, farm equipment and other commercial vehicles, and automotive components and parts.

All over the world, you will find engineers in the automotive industry working in a plethora of roles, on a variety of components and systems, and in different types of companies. Engineers can take credit not only for designing the engines that power our cars, but also for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning that keeps us comfortable, the seat belts and airbags that keep us safe (and the testing that is done to ensure safety), the control of the noise and emissions given off, the look and performance of the car, and much more. They are responsible for the efficiency of the production plants (as well as the robotic machinery in the assembly lines) and the consist quality of the finished product. Engineers work at large automobile manufacturers like General Motors and Toyota as well as companies like Delphi that supply the big auto manufacturers with things like fuel injection systems and sell, directly to consumers, items like GPS devices.

As in many industries, advances in engineering are the key to competitiveness in the automotive industry. As the industry adapts to changing social priorities, geopolitical pressures on the energy industry, and an increasingly global marketplace, the opportunities for engineers will only increase.