(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Rising Star of the Year will spotlight the next generation of talent, and Distributor of the Year for driving exceptional transformation across the region

The ceremony will take place on 10 December 2025, the second day of Automechanika Dubai, at the Dubai World Trade Centre

The fifth edition of the awards, which have become a highlight of the automotive aftermarket industry's calendar, will continue to celebrate global best practices and regional excellence

Dubai, UAE: The fifth edition of Automechanika Dubai Awards has announced its 2025 finalists, celebrating individuals, products and organisations redefining excellence, innovation, and leadership across the Middle East's automotive aftermarket and service industry sector.

Among this year's highlights are two new award categories, the Rising Star in Automotive Aftermarket and Distributor of the Year, both introduced to reflect evolving dynamics of the industry and recognise people and businesses shaping its future.

Marking its debut in 2025, the Rising Star category celebrates outstanding young professionals under the age of 30 within the GCC who have demonstrated exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact within the regional automotive aftermarket.

Finalists include Nehla Sunil Azeez, Zeez International Group; Mohammed Faraz, Al Mana Automotive Group; Klevisa Toska, CEO, Northstar Shine Car Care; and George Varkey, Owner, TunerStop.

Tommy Le, Show Manager, Automechanika Dubai, said:“The Rising Star category shines a spotlight on the next generation of professionals shaping the future of the automotive aftermarket. These are individuals bringing fresh ideas, digital-first thinking and new energy into an industry that thrives on transformation and innovation. By recognising their achievements, we're celebrating the forward-looking and dynamic outlook of the industry itself.”

Introduced under the Service Excellence category, the Distributor of the Year award recognises independent aftermarket distributors demonstrating exceptional performance, innovation, and service quality across the Middle East and Africa.

Finalists include Eurodiesel Services, Al Muqarram Auto Parts, Central Motors & Equipment, (A member of Al Fahim Group), Al Shirawi Enterprises Group, and DJ Auto Parts, each representing excellence in operational reach, supply reliability, and customer satisfaction.

Beyond these two new accolades, the Awards continue to celebrate excellence across Service Excellence, Products, Transformation, and People categories.

The Service Excellence section encompasses a diverse range of categories, including Bodyshop of the Year – Passenger Cars, Workshop of the Year – Passenger Cars, Services Provider of the Year – Commercial Vehicles, Car Care Specialist of the Year, and Mobile Services Provider of the Year. Several industry leaders have been shortlisted, including PITSTOP, Gargash Auto Repair, Munich Motor Works Oman, Orient Motors, DLuxe Car Care, Dial-A-Battery, Eurodiesel Services, German Experts Car Maintenance and Grand Service Station, among others.

Within Products, the Innovative Product of the Year finalists are Brigade Electronics Group, GRI Tires, SATA, Central Motors & Equipment LLC, (A member of Al Fahim Group), and Brembo. At the same time, Sustainability Product of the Year contenders include Ominent Sdn Bhd (IGL Coatings), GRI Tires, Allied Transport, NanoPower Lubricants and Auto Millennium Group. Meanwhile, Safety Product of the Year finalists feature Brigade Electronics, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Technolube, MANN+HUMMEL Middle East and Gilani Mobility. Finally, Digital Product of the Year shortlist includes Aufinity Group, Infomedia Europe, AutoX3, Smart Auto Systems, and BuyParts24.

In People, and part of the Women in Automotive Aftermarket, shortlisted nominations include, Shubhra Shrivastava, CEO, GaragePlug Inc. and Founder of AutoPulse Community; Nehla Sunil Azeez, Director of Operations, Zeez International Group; Kajal Chaudhary, Co-Founder, V2R Autoinfinite; Bhavika Sachdeva, Managing Director, Trinity Lubes and Greases; and Padmashila Subhash Patkar, Technical Consultant, Akzo Nobel UAE Paints, for their contributions to the aftermarket ecosystem through leadership, innovation and entrepreneurial efforts.

The Transformation section features two categories: Digitalisation Project of the Year, with shortlisted companies including Dubai Taxi Company, GaragePlug, German Experts Car Maintenance, Uzdpart Spare Parts, and Tashweesh for Software Development and Information Technology; and Start-up of the Year, highlighting Quantum Brand Protection, Azelerator Mobility, V2R Autoinfinite, Tire Base., and Morning Star Co. as shortlisted contenders.

Gaitri Jeswani, Chief Operating Officer, Eurodiesel Services, added:“The entries this year were remarkably diverse, reflecting the depth and maturity of the regional industry. The quality of submissions was exceptionally high, making the judges' role both rewarding and challenging. Awards like this recognise dedication and inspire others to continue learning, adapting, and growing. This industry is ready for change and embracing new ideas.”

Closing the awards line-up, Special Recognition of the Year category will honour an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the Middle East's automotive and aftermarket industry. This distinction celebrates long-term vision, leadership, and exceptional impact in driving innovation, sustainability, and industry growth across the region.

Ghanim Mohammad Al Falasi, Senior Vice President, Director General Office, Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), concluded:“Serving as a judge is both an honour and a responsibility. Every finalist has invested immense effort, and the competition reflects the significant progress this industry has made. All participants are winners in their own right for their contribution to the growth of the automotive aftermarket.”

The Automechanika Dubai Awards 2025 ceremony will take place on 10 December 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, during the 22nd edition of Automechanika Dubai, the largest international automotive aftermarket trade exhibition in the Middle East and Africa, which will run from 9 to 11 December 2025. This year's edition will welcome over 2,400 exhibitors from more than 60 countries, featuring 20 international pavilions and expanded coverage across 20 halls.

The show will feature 10 product sections, including Parts & Components, Electrics & Electronics, Accessories & Customising, Car Wash, Care & Detailing, Body & Paint, Diagnostics & Repair, Oils, Lubricants & Fuels, Tyres & Batteries, Digital Solutions & Services, and a new product area focusing on Connectivity & Autonomous Driving. The complete list of finalists includes: Bodyshop of the Year – Passenger Cars

• PITSTOP
• Munich Motor Works Oman
• German Experts Car Maintenance
• Gargash Auto Repair
• Al Habtoor Motors

Workshop of the Year – Passenger Cars

• PITSTOP
• Auto Studio
• Munich Motor Works Oman
• D Luxe Car Care
• German Experts Car Maintenance

Services Provider of the Year – Commercial Vehicles

• Eurodiesel Services
• Orient Motors
• KHF Automotive Services
• Al Shirawi Enterprises
• Al Salehi Machinery & Equipment Repairing

Car Care Specialists of the Year

• Automillennium Group
• DLuxe Car Care
• Performansion
• Grand Service Station
• ZEEZ International Group

Mobile Services Provider of the Year

• Dial-A-Battery
• Orient Motors
• Tybat
• Evbee
• Gilani Mobility

Distributor of the Year

• Al Muqarram Auto Parts
• Eurodiesel Services
• Central Motors & Equipment LLC, (A member of Al Fahim Group)
• Al Shirawi Enterprises Group
• DJ Auto Parts

Innovative Product of the Year

• Brigade Electronics – AI HFR box
• GRI Tires – Ultimate Green XT
• SATA GmbH & Co. KG – Jet X Digital Pro
• Central Motors & Equipment LLC, (A member of Al Fahim Group) – ACS 653-P – air conditioning service unit
• Brembo N.V. – Brembo Beyond – Greenance Kit

Sustainability Product of the Year

• Ominent Sdn Bhd (IGL Coatings) – IGL Coatings Arcane
• GRI Tires – Ultimate Green XT
• Allied Transport – Hydrogen – Powered Trucks
• NanoPower Lubricants – NanoPower
• Automillennium Group – Rhinomotive IFreeze Window Film

Safety Product of the Year

• Brigade Electronics – Radar Predict Plus
• University of Technology and Applied Sciences – Integrated Evaporator Cleaning & Sterilization System
• Technolube – Safety Barriers
• MANN+HUMMEL Middle East – MANN-FILTER Air Dryer Cartridges
• Gilani Mobility – The Ultimate G24 Vehicle Conversion

Digital Product of the Year

• Aufinity Group – Aufinity
• Infomedia Europe – Superservice Triage
• AutoX3 – AutoX3 AI-Powered Vehicle Inspection & Report Generation
• Smart Auto Systems – Autorox
• BuyParts24 – BuyParts24 Core Portal and Apps

Digitalization Project of the Year

• Dubai Taxi Company – Digitalization, Sustainability using AI and IoT
• GaragePlug Inc – Project AutoXpress 2.0 – Digitalising East Africa's Largest Auto Service Network
• German Experts Car Maintenance – GE automotive smart digital solutions
• Uzdpart Spare Parts Trading LLC – Uzdpart
• Tashweesh for software development and information technology – CarUsta

Start-Up of the Year

• Quantum Brand Protection
• Azelerator Mobility
• V2R Autoinfinite
• Tire Base Inc
• Morning Star Co.

Women In Automotive Aftermarket

• Shubhra Shrivastava, CEO, GaragePlug Inc and Founder of AutoPulse Community
• Nehla Sunil Azeez, Director of Operations, ZEEZ International Group
• Kajal Chaudhary, Co-Founder, V2R Autoinfinite Private Limited
• Bhavika Sachdeva, Managing Director, Trinity Lubes and Greases
• Padmashila Subhash Patkar, Technical Consultant, Akzo Nobel UAE Paints

Rising Star in the Automotive Aftermarket

• Nehla Sunil Azeez, Director of Operations, ZEEZ International Group
• Mohammed Faraz, Group Wholesales Manager, Al Mana Automotive Group
• Klevisa Toska, CEO, Northstar Shine Car Care
• George Varkey, Owner, TunerStop

Judging Panel – Automechanika Dubai Awards 2025 (Listed in no particular order)

• • Alan Whaley – Founder and Chairman, AMENA Auto
  • Dr. Hamad Al Jassmi – Director of Emirates Center for Mobility Research, United Arab Emirates University
  • Dr. Hemachandran K – Director – AI Research Centre, Woxsen University

• Dr. Maya Ben Dror – Chairperson, Women in Mobility

• • Dr. Nima Mehrdadi – Vice President Aftermarket Middle East, Africa, CA & India, FORVIA HELLA; Managing Director, HELLA Middle East FZE/LLC
  • Dr. Vishal Pandey – Director, Glasgow Research & Consulting

• Frank Schlehuber – Senior Consultant Market Affairs, European Association of Automotive Suppliers

• • Gaitri Jeswani – Chief Operating Officer, Eurodiesel Services LLC
  • Ghanim Mohammad Al Falasi – Senior Vice President, Director General Office, Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)
  • Graham Threlfall – Partner, PER4M
  • Heiko Seitz – Global & Middle East eMobility Leader | Partner, PwC

• Nasir Saif Sultan AlSeeri – Head of VIP Vehicles Maintenance Section, Dubai Government Workshop

• • Subhashree Ramarathnam – Associate Director, Mobility at Frost & Sullivan
• Tufan Baysal – Director – Aftermarket MEA, Niterra Middle East FZE

About Automechanika Dubai:

Automechanika Dubai is the largest international automotive aftermarket trade show in the Middle East taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre between 9-11 December 2025. Automechanika Dubai acts as the central trading link for markets that are difficult to reach connecting the wider Middle East, Africa, Asia and key CIS countries.

About Messe Frankfurt:

The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world's largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,500* people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2024 were around € 780* million. We serve our customers' business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of Messe Frankfurt's key strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.

Sustainability is a central pillar of our corporate strategy. Here, we strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity.

With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).

*Preliminary figures 2024

About Messe Frankfurt Middle East:

Messe Frankfurt Middle East's portfolio of exhibitions includes: Automechanika Dubai, Automechanika Riyadh, Beautyworld Middle East, Beautyworld Saudi Arabia, Intersec, Intersec Saudi Arabia, Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, Logimotion, Light + Intelligent Building Middle East and Paperworld Middle East. In the 2024/25 event season, Messe Frankfurt Middle East exhibitions combined featured 7,450 exhibitors from over 68 countries and attracted 249,500 visitors from 164 countries.

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