MG unveiled the MG Icon concept car to stunned audiences at the Beijing Auto Show today.

It’s the first SUV concept car from the company and was created by the MG global design team headed by British director Anthony Williams-Kenny.

The MG Icon takes inspiration from some of the legendary brand’s most famous sports cars including the MGA and MGB GT. Williams-Kenny 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. The rear seats can fold down completely into the floor, making the compact SUV 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.”

MG Icon Wins Major Award

MG has scooped a major design award with its stunning MG Icon concept car.

It has been awarded the prestigious ‘Best Concept’ title at the Beijing Motor Show, one of the most sought-after awards on the international automotive show calendar.

The MG Icon beat the Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe and Honda Concept C.

Autoweek, one of the USA’s leading automotive magazines, announced the awards and will present MG with an engraved trophy at a later date.

Greg Kable, a highly acclaimed international motoring journalist and Autoweek’s German editor, was glowing in his remarks about the Icon.

Kable said: “The Icon continues MG’s resurrection under parent company SAIC Motor, bringing newly interpreted heritage style to the compact-SUV ranks in a package that will see it compete directly against the likes of Nissan Juke and the MINI Countryman.”

No plans have been announced concerning production of the MG Icon.

It’s the first SUV concept from MG and was created by the MG global design team headed by British director Anthony Williams-Kenny. It takes inspiration from some of the legendary MG models of the past, including the MGA and MGB GT.

Williams-Kenny said: “It’s a great honour to win this very important award, particularly when the judges put the MG Icon ahead of so many other famous brands.

“The judges obviously shared our enthusiasm and vision for MG which is one of the best loved brands in the world.”

Williams-Kenny, who also led the design team responsible for the award-winning MG6 production car, has recently been promoted to his new role as Global Director, SAIC Design.

The MG6 GT fastback and the MG6 Magnette sports saloon were designed and engineered at SAIC Motor’s European Technical Centre at the MG Birmingham site where final assembly of both models also takes place.

MG Motor UK

MG Motor UK is based in Birmingham, England along with SAIC Motors European Technical Engineering Centre (SMTC) and they jointly employ 400 people in automotive styling, design, engineering, manufacturing and support services.