| Automechanika Dubai Awards 2026 announces finalists as submissions rise 110%
Sixth edition attracts submissions from 22 countries, with 70 finalists across 15 shortlisted categories AI, connected vehicle technologies and sustainable products feature alongside public-sector transport and mobility projects  Winners will be announced on 11 November 2026 at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai Dubai, UAE: Automechanika Dubai Awards 2026, with Bridgestone as Lead Sponsor, has announced its finalists following a 110% year-on-year increase in submissions, with this year’s shortlist reflecting the growing role of technology and sustainability across the automotive aftermarket. The sixth edition recorded 748 submissions, compared with 357 in 2025. Submissions came from 22 countries across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America, extending the Awards’ international reach. The shortlist comprises 70 finalists across 15 categories within Service Excellence, Product, Transformation and People, recognising businesses, products and individuals contributing to the industry’s development. The range of entries reflects an increasingly sophisticated aftermarket, encompassing AI-powered automotive solutions, connected vehicle technologies and digital platforms, as well as advanced components and new workshop and service models. Across these areas, the Awards maintain an emphasis on innovation, measurable impact and demonstrated industry excellence. Government and public-sector participation is a notable feature of this year’s shortlist, reflecting how automotive innovation is extending into transport safety, mobility infrastructure and digital transformation. Tommy Le, Show Manager, Automechanika Dubai, said: “For aftermarket businesses, the value of innovation lies in how it improves the work they do, whether that means maintaining vehicles, managing services or supporting safer mobility. This year’s entries show how closely those challenges now connect workshop operators, technology developers and public-sector organisations. Through the Awards, we recognise innovations that deliver practical benefits, improve operational efficiency and help aftermarket businesses adapt to evolving vehicle technologies and customer expectations. “The growing emphasis on sustainability, digital transformation, operational excellence and talent development reflects how the aftermarket is evolving across the Middle East and Africa. The Awards have become an important platform for recognising the companies and individuals setting new benchmarks and helping the industry adapt to changing vehicle technologies and customer expectations,” he continued. That breadth is also evident in the Product categories, which include Innovative Product of the Year, Sustainable Product of the Year, Safety Product of the Year and Digital Product of the Year. Digital products and business transformation feature prominently across the shortlist. The Transformation categories include Digitalisation Project of the Year and Start-Up of the Year. Service Excellence recognises the businesses delivering vehicle maintenance and customer support, spanning bodyshops, workshops, commercial vehicle services, car care, mobile services and distribution. The People categories recognise the professionals contributing to the aftermarket’s development through Women in Automotive Aftermarket and Rising Star in Automotive Aftermarket. Winners will be announced at the Automechanika Dubai Awards ceremony on 11 November 2026, the second day of the exhibition. Organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the 23rd edition of Automechanika Dubai will take place from 10–12 November 2026 at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai, bringing the automotive aftermarket community together at the venue for the first time. The complete list of finalists Category: Service Excellence Bodyshop of the Year – Passenger Cars Inchcape Kenya Bodyshop Pitstop360 Somerset Performance Workshop RC Auto Chain Services AutoFix Multibrand Car Service Centre Workshop of the Year – Passenger CarsUnited International Transportation Company Auto Studio By A-Map Grand Service Station RC Auto Chain Services The Car Lab Auto Repair Center Services Provider of the Year – Commercial VehiclesKHF Automotive services Eurodiesel Services Al Salehi Machinery & Equipment Repairing LLC ISUZU East Africa Grand Service Station Car Care Specialist of the YearADNOC Distribution Indigo Car Care Club BlueVerse Auto Care Centre Hippo Auto Spa Grand Service Station Mobile Services Provider of the YearDial – A – Battery Tybat Express Rescue.co (Flare) CheckAnyCar FixGo Distributor of the YearAkita Spare Parts Trading DWC A-MAP UAE (Badami Holding Group) Central Motors & Equipment LLC (A Member of Alfahim Group) Abdul Zahir Bashir Automotive Trading Naseem Al Rafaidain Trading Al Salehi Machinery & Equipment Repairing LLC Category: Product Innovative Product of the YearMeyle AG – MEYLE HD Brake Disc BASI GO – BasiGo E9 Kubwa WAŚ sp. z o.o. – WAŚ Series W293 – W294 Multi-functional Rear Lamp SmartWheels, Inc. – Tire Intelligence Platform Dolphin Global Holdings – NanoFlow 5 Sustainable Product of the YearBlueVerse CleanTech – BlueVerse Sustainable Vehicle Washing Hengst Middle East FZE – Blue.balance Oil Filter Rocatron Brake Technology – LCP Brake Discs Natutech – EcoClear ReFine Uzdpart Spare Parts Trading – Uzdpart Safety Product of the YearIntegrated Transport Centre (ITC) – Salama – School Transportation Platform Total Secure – Secure Speed MLT-40A SmartWheels, Inc. – Tire Intelligence Platform Sutsnax General Trading FZE – Built-In Digital Air Compressor Digital Product of the YearADNOC Distribution – ADNOC Distribution App PILOTECH – PartPilot Seez – Connect CheckAnyCar – CheckAnyCar.com Axxion Claims Settlement Services – Claims OS Category: Transformation Digitalisation Project of the YearDubai Taxi Company – EV Charging Management System – AI and Machine Learning Based Axxion Claims Settlement Services – Claims OS Grand Service Station – The Digital Heart of GSS ADNOC Distribution – Engage by ADNOC FixGo – FixGo Customer App Start-Up of the YearAxxion Claims Settlement Services Adroit Spark Software – AutoFixia Wafi Energy Company, Shell Licensee KSA PILOTECH BlueVerse CleanTech Category: People Women in Automotive AftermarketSyeda Aisha Atif, Workshop Technical Trainer, German Emirati Vocational Institute Bhavika Sachdeva, Director, Trinity Lubes & Greases Klevisa Toska, Chief Executive Officer, Northstar Shine Car Care Manisha Sharma, Manager – Exports Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries Simran Naresh Vaswani, Sales & Marketing Executive, Al Heera International Equip & Spare Parts Trading LLC Rising Star in Automotive AftermarketKlevisa Toska, Chief Executive Officer, Northstar Shine Car Care Nicholas Jesus Fernandes, Senior Group Marketing Executive – International Business, Bahwan International Group Holding Rahul Raj, Service Advisor – Bodyshop and Workshop Operations, German Experts Car Maintenance LLC Iman Asad Badami, Junior Associate, (A-MAP UAE), Badami Holding Group Ashwin Chandran, Regional Sales Manager, Trucktec International |
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About Automechanika Dubai:
Automechanika Dubai is the largest international automotive aftermarket trade show in the Middle East taking place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre between 10 – 12 November 2026. 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 2,700* people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 29 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2025 were more than € 766* 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.
*Preliminary figures 2025
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, Light + Intelligent Building Middle East and Paperworld Middle East. In the 2025/26 event season, Messe Frankfurt Middle East exhibitions combined featured 8,400 exhibitors and attracted 266,000 visitors from over 178 countries.
