Mohsin Basharmal, Transport Design student from Coventry University, was last night awarded first prize in the inaugural Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award. Mohsin’s prize, collected at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ annual dinner in London, is the dream start to any automotive career: four months work experience with award partners Ford, Harley-Davidson, Honda and Marshall Motor Group, as well as a cash prize of £6000.

Presenting the award, Autocar editor-in-chief Steve Cropley said: “Mohsin is a very worthy winner. His idea of integrating Piezoelectricity into tyre design and road building in the future is both feasible, environmentally beneficial and economical. All of the team involved with the awards process very much look forward to following Mohsin as he embarks on his automotive career. We also wish the best of luck to the two runners up – Oliver Joris and Holly Robinson. I’m sure we will see them rise to great heights too.”

“Together we have started a programme to encourage the brightest and best students to make the motor industry their first choice career, and the high standard of entries we have received this year inspires confidence that the future of the automotive sector looks bright,” said Lynda Pickess, Managing Partner of Courland Automotive Practice.

The Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award was created to find the automotive industry leaders of tomorrow, who can answer challenges with new and imaginative solutions. The competition was open to students in further education; each entrant was required to submit a 600-word summary detailing their original idea for the automotive industry’s next big development.

Six shortlisted entrants spent a day with senior management from the award partners at Autocar’s headquarters in Teddington, London. They presented their ideas in a ‘Dragons Den’ style atmosphere, which was filmed.

Autocar and Courland look forward to a long, successful partnership running the Next Generation Award programme. Year two will be launched in January 2010 when the hunt starts again to find the next young big thinker.

To follow Mohsin Basharmal through his work experience www.autocar.co.uk/next-generation