MG Motor has caught the imagination of more than just Auto China visitors today, with its new MG Icon Concept. Fans on the car maker’s Facebook page are already pledging their support to buy their own Icon, should MG decide to bring it to production.

The MG Icon looks suspiciously like the MINI Countryman Coupé, but with a little more attitude. Either way it marks the car maker’s first serious attempt at stamping its mark on the automotive design landscape and shows promising signs of real innovation, which can only be good news for the brand.

The Icon is said to take its inspiration from some of the brand’s most famous sports cars including the MGA and MGB GT.

MG’s design director, Williams-Kenny, whose team designed the new SUV concept said, “The MG brand has a unique set of values and heritage and allows us to offer individual design values to our products.

“The MG Icon represents our vision of a modern MG and we feel that the small SUV canvas demonstrates MG’s capacity for progressive design with respect for its long heritage.”

“We have balanced familiar brand cues, such as the wide and powerful front end graphic interpretation and, as one would expect, with a strong focus on the unique MG octagon.

“The MG Icon clearly demonstrates a progressive and soulful British spirit and has a lithe and powerful stance – its proportion harmonised by feature lines interpreted from MG’s iconic greats.”

The MGB GT inspired rear with structural lamps mounted on top of haunched wings are another highly distinctive feature of the design. The MG Icon has a four ‘shell’ seat layout, allowing the rear seats to fold down completely into the floor, making the compact SUV both versatile and functional.

Williams-Kenny added: “The MG Icon highlights a global vision for MG’s design and represents a milestone for the brand, particularly this year which marks the 50th anniversary of the MGB.”

 

Isn't MG another BMW Brand? I'll be surprised if these rear doors make it onto a production car.

 

looks a lot like a nissan juke

 

My thoughts exactly. And that's not a good thing.

As a two time former MG owner, I was excited by the thread title. Now I just want to take a shower and cry.

 

Darn,when I first looked at it I thought "that looks hot!" now that you brought up the Juke that's all I see when I look at the car now

 

While I'd love to see MG do something, this to me, is a total miss. Nothing about it screams MG. When you see a MINI, no matter the model you know it's a MINI. the Juke comparison is spot on. Heck it even resembles that new laughable Lamborghini SUV. Also, what's with all these European car makers mounting HUGE rims on these little SUV's? It looks like something I'd see bouncing down the street in East LA. It's fine on a Pontiac but an MG? Not so much!

Rant off

 

No, it is owned by a Chinese company, the Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation.

The grill resembles the chrome bumper MGB grill

Dave

 

looks like a car batman could love

 

Not for me thank you.

 

With the exception of the straight-on forward view, that thing is fairly hideous.

A production version might not be so hideous, but you'll get a big NO from me.

 

Maybe they should call it the Robin?

I doubt it will ever see production. And that's a good thing no matter how you look at it. IMHO.

 

Trying to figure out the logic of those upper wings. Do they double as side view mirrors or is it just design? Maybe i misread something but if theyre not mirrors then this car has none. Seems it would be awkward to look out and up to see oncoming traffic.

 

I agree - the familiar styling feature is the front grill frame.

MG - I think of long hood, big spokey tyres, and a ride stiff enough to shake your eyeballs out. Along the lines of a Morgan.

 

I saw a nice looking car with the MG badge in Shanghai, China a couple of weeks ago. I was a little nervous seeing the sharp corners in the rear hatch, but otherwise it looked OK (photos attached - it's a 5-door hatch)

More info:
http://www.gizmag.com/mg3-cs-concept-shanghai/27193/

 

Wow, that's really bland!

What's wrong with automobile manufacturers these days? Very few can come up with anything that doesn't look like every other appliance on the road.

Dave

 

Dice up some trendy elements, throw them into the Design Cuisinart, spin, and Ta-Daaaa! You have once confused, proboscis-laden tart.

 

Seriously? That's not a bad looking concept with a good bit of character, but the Juke is just hella-fffugg-LEE. Sorry, I don't see the similarity at all.

 

Help! A Volvo C30 rear-ended my Juke!

 

Its an MG by name only, the marque died out a long time ago. But i'm quite sure most of your know that already.

The rear view reminds me of a crossfire, the front/sides a Juke & somewhere in there is the Evoque. So it looks like the designers are copying parts of other cars and making Frankenstein's next monster.

Tab