Skip to content
worldsalaries .com

Average Automotive Project Manager Salary in India for 2026

An automotive project manager in India earns about 507,300 INR a year. That's 32% above the national average of 384,200 INR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in India sit around 238,900 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 800,200 INR. Everything on this page is in Indian rupee (INR, symbol ₹), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in India, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does an automotive project manager make in India?

Average salary
507,300 INR
42,275 INR per month
Lowest reported
238,900 INR
19,908 INR per month
Highest reported
800,200 INR
66,683 INR per month

A typical automotive project manager working in India brings home around 42,275 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 238,900 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 800,200 INR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior automotive project manager working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How automotive project manager pay ranges in India

A good way to think about salary in India is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all automotive project managers in India earn less than 535,900 INR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 348,300 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 710,500 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of automotive project managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 238,900 INR. The highest stretch to 800,200 INR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

238,900
Low
535,900
Median
800,200
High
348,300
25th
710,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Automotive project manager pay by experience in India

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an automotive project manager in India, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical automotive project manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    273,000 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +39% from previous
    378,800 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +42% from previous
    538,600 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    659,400 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +5% from previous
    695,400 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    757,300 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a automotive project manager typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Automotive project manager pay by education in India

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving automotive project manager pay in India. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average automotive project manager salary in India broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    378,800 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +84% from previous
    695,400 INR

Automotive project manager gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male automotive project managers in India earn an average of 545,300 INR a year, while female automotive project managers earn around 478,100 INR. That works out to a 14% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Automotive Project Manager gender pay gap

12%

Men earn this much more than women on average in India.

Men 545,300 INR
Women 478,100 INR

Pay raises for an automotive project manager in India

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in India sees a raise of about 12% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in India, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in India:

  • Banking
    1%
  • Energy
    2%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Automotive project manager bonus rates in India

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

59%

59% of automotive project managers in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an automotive project manager a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 41% of automotive project managers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in India

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Automotive project manager: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in India is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

5%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in India on average.

Public sector 392,300 INR
Private sector 371,100 INR

Automotive project manager salary by city and region in India

Automotive project manager pay is not even across India. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Bihar
  • Maharashtra
  • West Bengal
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Rajasthan
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Mumbai
  • Karnataka
  • Delhi (city)
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Uttar PradeshRegion587,800 INR610,100 INR283,400-923,000 INR
BiharRegion582,700 INR629,800 INR268,900-927,000 INR
MaharashtraRegion578,500 INR544,800 INR307,400-879,700 INR
West BengalRegion573,500 INR583,000 INR281,500-895,900 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion566,900 INR545,300 INR294,700-868,400 INR
RajasthanRegion563,000 INR538,600 INR294,700-862,100 INR
Tamil NaduRegion559,000 INR514,300 INR301,300-843,600 INR
MumbaiCity559,000 INR566,900 INR275,200-869,400 INR
KarnatakaRegion553,800 INR562,600 INR272,800-862,200 INR
Delhi (city)City553,800 INR518,900 INR294,700-840,800 INR
GujaratRegion548,500 INR516,100 INR288,700-832,000 INR
BangaloreCity548,500 INR580,600 INR257,700-864,900 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion541,700 INR522,700 INR283,400-832,100 INR
HyderabadCity541,700 INR533,100 INR275,500-836,500 INR
OrissaRegion535,900 INR548,500 INR263,900-838,100 INR
AhmadabadCity535,900 INR535,900 INR268,900-832,300 INR
ChennaiCity531,700 INR500,100 INR283,400-810,200 INR
JharkhandRegion531,700 INR553,400 INR254,800-836,500 INR
KolkataCity528,500 INR504,500 INR273,000-808,000 INR
KeralaRegion528,500 INR528,500 INR263,900-816,000 INR
AssamRegion520,900 INR480,300 INR283,400-790,300 INR
SuratCity520,900 INR513,300 INR266,000-803,400 INR
PunjabRegion518,300 INR507,300 INR263,900-795,700 INR
PuneCity518,300 INR518,300 INR259,100-800,200 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion513,300 INR531,700 INR246,200-805,900 INR
JaipurCity513,300 INR524,400 INR249,600-800,500 INR
LucknowCity507,300 INR487,600 INR263,900-778,200 INR
HaryanaRegion501,400 INR462,300 INR272,800-756,700 INR
KanpurCity501,400 INR492,400 INR254,800-772,900 INR
NagpurCity498,500 INR487,600 INR252,300-767,000 INR
Delhi (region)Region498,500 INR487,600 INR252,300-767,000 INR
IndoreCity492,400 INR533,100 INR228,500-781,200 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion492,400 INR520,900 INR232,900-778,500 INR
UttaranchalRegion487,600 INR514,800 INR228,000-768,900 INR
BhopalCity487,600 INR514,800 INR228,000-768,900 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity483,400 INR522,700 INR222,300-767,400 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion483,400 INR522,700 INR222,300-767,400 INR
VisakhapatnamCity478,100 INR504,300 INR225,700-752,600 INR
TripuraRegion478,100 INR516,100 INR221,500-756,700 INR
CoimbatoreCity472,100 INR433,400 INR254,700-714,600 INR
ManipurRegion472,100 INR433,400 INR254,700-714,600 INR
GhaziabadCity466,900 INR485,300 INR225,700-733,300 INR
MeghalayaRegion466,900 INR504,400 INR214,000-743,300 INR
NagalandRegion462,300 INR480,600 INR222,300-724,000 INR
LudhianaCity462,300 INR489,500 INR216,800-728,500 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion454,900 INR431,100 INR240,500-695,200 INR
PatnaCity454,900 INR483,800 INR214,000-721,600 INR
GoaRegion450,300 INR431,300 INR233,900-692,500 INR
VadodaraCity450,300 INR431,300 INR233,900-692,500 INR
agraCity447,300 INR421,400 INR237,400-679,200 INR
PondicherryRegion447,300 INR447,300 INR221,500-693,100 INR
MizoramRegion440,200 INR467,100 INR207,700-696,700 INR
MaduraiCity440,200 INR478,100 INR204,700-702,800 INR
ChandigarhRegion437,300 INR462,300 INR204,000-689,900 INR
SikkimRegion430,000 INR404,600 INR227,600-656,800 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion425,100 INR433,400 INR208,600-664,500 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion420,100 INR414,000 INR214,000-646,600 INR
Daman & DiuRegion417,200 INR417,200 INR207,700-643,800 INR
LakshadweepRegion411,400 INR403,100 INR209,700-631,200 INR

Automotive Project Manager in India: FAQs

  • How much does an automotive project manager make per month in India?

    An automotive project manager in India earns about 42,275 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 507,300 INR.

  • What's the salary range for an automotive project manager in India?

    Entry-level automotive project managers in India start near 238,900 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 800,200 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 348,300 and 710,500 INR.

  • Is the median automotive project manager salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 535,900 INR, higher than the average of 507,300 INR. Half of automotive project managers in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for automotive project managers in India?

    Men working as an automotive project manager in India earn around 14% more than women on average (545,300 vs 478,100 INR a year).

  • Do automotive project managers in India get bonuses?

    About 59% of automotive project managers in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do automotive project managers earn more in the public or private sector in India?

    In India, the public sector pays an automotive project manager about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do automotive project managers in India get a pay raise?

    An automotive project manager in India sees a raise of around 12% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.