Mousumi had designed a four-seater car inspired by Khadi, which, she thought represented India. "Khadi is a versatile material that can be both soft and rough, depending on the make. My model also reflects a hard exterior with a soft interior made of khadi material," she said.

Elated at her win, she felt that today was one of her happiest days, “I was very nervous but now that I have won, I feel like I am on cloud nine.” The runner-ups of the contest were Shilendra Petwal and Ramesh Gound, also from NID. “NID has a long list of achievers and now the list has just grown longer,” Petwal said.

The only student from Delhi to make it to the top 11 was Ajay Kota from IIT. Though he could not make it further. He had designed a seven-seater car based on the curves of Indian sculptors. “My car is very feminine and it is very user friendly. I hope I will win,” he had told Newsline before the results were declared.

The contest for the best car design began in October last year as part of the company's endeavour to search talent in the country. The theme was 'India' and it received a total of 77 entries from different designing institutes, out of which 11 were selected for the final show. Among the jury who assessed the works today were Patrick le Quement, senior vice-president, Corporate Design, Renault, fashion designer Ritu Kumar and Sangeeta Shroff, Director, Indian School of Crafts and Design.