The tweed cap and corduroy jacket crowd may remember MG as the maker of the quintessential British roadsters of the 1960s and 1970s, with favorites such as the Midget, MGB, and MGC comprising its fondly regarded lineup of years past.
But today's MG is a totally different animal than the builder of jaunty roadsters of yore. MG is now owned by Chinese automaker SAIC. In its Icon concept, the brand pays homage to its British past, but in a decidedly non-traditional package. Some sketches of the upcoming concept leaked out this week ahead of the show.
According to British automotive outlet Autocar, the Icon concept will be based upon SAIC's ZP platform, which will be the basis of the upcoming MG3 and Roewe 350 hatchbacks. The round, fender-mounted headlamps and pontoon front fenders hint at the styling of the roadsters of yesteryear, as do the vertical taillights. The overall profile is somewhat evocative of the Nissan Juke, which the Icon should be close to in overall size. The most controversial styling element might be the protruding vertical front and rear running lights/reflectors, which appear to stick out several inches from the bumper at each corner.
Like the Juke, the Icon is expected to be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder. In this case, a 1.5-liter I-4 with 135 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. We will see how close the concept looks in the sheetmetal to these sketches when the Beijing Auto Show kicks off next week.