MG EXE181 WINS GLOBAL DESIGN AWARD
- Extraordinary MG EXE181 secures iF DESIGN AWARD
- Winner in 2025 Concept Vehicle category
- Inspired design pays tribute to MGs land speed record exploits
The extraordinary MG EXE181 concept car which played a starring role in the brand’s global 100th anniversary celebrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2024 has now secured a prestigious iF Design Award. The iF Design Awards are one of the largest and most prestigious design competitions in the world and annually attracts around 11,000 submissions from almost 70 countries.
Envisioned and created by Carl Gotham, Advanced Design Director, SAIC Design Advanced London, and his design colleagues at the company’s Advanced Design Studio in London, EXE181 pays tribute to the original EX181 ‘roaring raindrop MG’ land speed record car which flew across the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in the late 1950s and was piloted by men like the British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss who reached 246mph in 1957. Two years later, America’s Phil Hill would improve the record by achieving 257mph.
Carl Gotham and his team imagined a potential MG land speed record challenger of the future, propelled by Kilowatts and rotors rather than fossil fuels and pistons, whilst skilfully retaining many of the signature design features of the first MG.
The result is a stunning concept vehicle which according to the iF commendation is a study of style, innovation and efficiency and which acts as an ambassador for the next chapter of MG. The same talented design team, based in Marylebone, played a leading role in the development of the acclaimed MG Cyberster, a two-seat convertible EV.
“It was a unique opportunity for our designers,” comments Carl Gotham.
“We wanted to celebrate MG’s remarkable past as a daring and innovative sports car manufacturer that pushed boundaries, but with the extra and exciting brief to work with the most advanced materials and technology and visualise an all-electric MG land speed record car of the future. Whilst always a pure concept vehicle devised to excite, we also designed with a purpose which included running a series of aerodynamic tests and keeping the single-seater cockpit. ”
There was a further iF Design Award in the User Experience category for the Rising OS Intelligent Cockpit System Design. SAIC Motor R&D Innovation Headquarters offered a compelling glimpse into the future of passenger mobility with an advanced HMI system based on using system algorithms to enable a greater range of more detailed customized permissions for drivers and passengers which support safety, comfort and personal driving preferences. As a SAIC Motor brand MG is a potential beneficiary of this advanced R&D innovation and design.
