A study was carried out to establish an automated optimization process applied to external aerodynamics of a real-life vehicle model, particularly focusing on the methodology. The aim of the research is to obtain a performance improvement in terms of drag reduction through the definition and variation of specific vehicle shape parameters, using ANSA pre-processor mesh morphing techniques. Several configurations are obtained based on the design of experiments (DOE) matrix purposely created. Within the optimization loop, simulations are run and a relevant response surface is defined and assessed. Through this process, a study of the aerodynamic drag sensitivity to variations in each input shape parameter is carried out, eventually achieving a combination of such parameters yielding the least drag.