Automotive programs exist in older schools, but they don't seem to be built in new schools. It's also a rather "specialty" area that is a lot harder to "fake" than wood or metal - as such, Auto teachers as well as Electronics teachers are the hardest to fill.
I may be mistaken, but here in Canada, many school districts seem to look at what you folks do in the states, and figure it's the best way to go. I'm not always sure I agree. The first district I taught in had shut down a wack of shops, sold all the equipment for pennies on the dollar, and built generalist "Tech Ed" shops like the US went in the 90's. The school I was at lost two Metal Shops, a Power Mechanics shop, and a Wood Shop. A new school was built with no Metal or Auto Shop.
The current trend is to embrace the "Maker" movement, and have rooms full of cast off junk, where kids "figure out" what they want to learn, what their goal is, and how to get there. All with no basic foundation of knowledge and skill, and no real, quality, skill development (in my opinion). I think the quality of the program suffers for the -majority- of students (though a minority - the real "nerdy" kids - will thrive, not that that's bad, it's just you can't cater to the top 10% and leave the 90% behind). I detest "Maker" replacing "Shop," and the current push appears to be a "Maker" component within all subjects, and get rid of all "Shops."
I've gone back closer to the 70's as far as skill development. I build and build on more and more skill, such that every kid should be able to confidently use every piece of equipment I have to a competent level by the time they graduate.
Our Provincial Gov't has decreed a "new curriculum" which emphasizes "inquiry," among other things. That's not necessarily bad, though I want my brakes done RIGHT, not how you FEEL it should be done. My Mechanics curriculum must include an "Aboriginal Component" and I'm not sure what that would actually look like. There is also a "Design Component" which made no sense to me - you don't "design" things in repairing a vehicle - but that was recently removed by the powers that be (thank you). -I- do design, but that is WAY more "Metalwork" than "Mechanics." I teach Metalwork, as well as Drafting, too.
I'm rambling.....
I don't think Automotive is resurging. Shops cost money, and the Educational System is all about money. If they don't HAVE to build it, I don't think they will.
As for the kids (your real question?), I've been at my current school for 16 years, and have built a good reputation for providing a solid course. I hear from other teachers that kids talk saying "you learn a TON in (my) classes." I'd say that maybe 60 to 70% of the students want to be there and want to learn. There are a handful that are just looking for easy credits, and there are usually 1 or 2 kids who are constant behaviour problems. That's probably typical. Of those, MAYBE 5% of the students I teach in Mechanics will pursue a career in Mechanics.
I have a couple philisophies about teaching Mechanics. Or heck, teaching -anything-:
1) You need to be passionate about it. Not that you have to instill that passion, but you need to be genuinely "into" whatever it is you are teaching. You need to SHOW the stuff you are doing on the side, SHARE the things that excite you, GO OFF on tangents and rabbit trails in classroom discussions exploring history or cool stories or fun facts about whatever the topic is. Not that it's curricular, but it's RELATED, and we ALL remember the stores from high school. HAVE a project on the go in the shop that kids can see where this knowledge can take you; show off your skill. I had the Lethal Locost at the school for the first year of build. I had the V8 Firefly in the school shop for three years. I built up the Squarebody in the shop. I have my '61 Apache in the shop. Kids need to SEE this.
2) If you're teaching Mechanics and you don't have a cool ride, you're doing it wrong.
Did I address your question?