News : Latest MG3 Design Concept revealed (along with more stickers…)

Apparently, there are over a million different design options available to personalise an MG3, although if all of them actually get built then the Anglo-Chinese car industry will become an overnight success story.

Here’s the latest, unveiled as part of London Design Week at the global ‘Superbrands’ event.

mg3 rear

Created by MG Designer Louise Thorburn, the concept display car will be on show at Superbrands until September 21st, alongside the latest three designs to join the MG3 personalisation range. Louise, a recent graduate of Dundee University’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, with an honours degree in Textile Design, is the latest addition to the MG Design team. After various magazine features and exhibiting her graduate work at the London-based exhibition, New Designers in 2012, Louise completed two internships, one at MG and one at iconic shoe designer, Jimmy Choo, before returning to MG as Colour and Materials Designer.

If the shoe fits, etc… So, it may not be to everyones’ tastes – but is MG doing the right thing by offering such a huge array of personalisation options and trying to make itself appeal to younger, fashion conscious motorists? Anyway, personally, I think it’s a good thing that MG is seeking talent from the British education system, whether I like the concept design or not…

mg3front

Craig Cheetham

21 Comments

  1. I passed an MG3 parked up the other day and was surprised at just how good it looked. One of those cars which looks much better in the flesh than on the page…

  2. I must agree Mg3 looks good i fancy one though would like one more higher spec engine with better performance, i think my r reg rover 420gsi give the mg3 run for its money, but good insurance rating for our youngsters and also for old boy racers like me. Regards Mark

  3. I would like an MG3 shame they are $20K here, which is still a lot for a new brand(albeit with an old name) if it were $15K I would be very very tempted. alex

  4. Nice looking motor in the flesh but not so hot in photos – and that special personalisation is just awful! What is it with people thinking that they have to personalise to prove they have a personality – it just shows you haven’t got one by doing it as your following the heard!. I think the worse ones are those bloody flowers or butterflies!

  5. So simply adding more sets of naff vinyls to the existing range, big deal! Money better spent on advertising/targeting the product correctly and increasing dealer up take = more sales. Spotted my first MG3 last Saturday, pretty poor after a year on sale. Come on MG UK surely it should be selling better than this?

  6. Having purchased an MG3 (in Hello Yellow) for my wife in December 2013 I have continued to be impressed by this spacious car.

    Sure, the engine is a bit gutless until you get it through to 3rd and 4th gear, once you’re on the motorway it just keeps on going.

    Build quality is good, the sound system is excellent, fuel consumption is OK (not brilliant) and it turns heads everywhere we go.

    After nearly 5000 miles under the belt, I can honestly say that another MG3 will probably be on the drive in 2 years time when our PCP contract comes to an end.

    If MG can learn the lessons of the MG6 and MG3 and put together a quality MG CS then I honestly believe that a second MG might join the family whenever they get around to launching the impressive looking SUV in the UK.

  7. This is very impressive stuff.

    Not only have their hired a British sticker designer, but they’ve even managed to get a story published about it. Will these stickers be manufactured and fitted in the UK (warranting a few more column inches to report just how much the Chinese owners are “investing” in the UK sticker industry), or will they be applied at the factory in China?

  8. Still never seen a MG3 for real but it looks okay on this website. I think the car looks better in its natural form without adding all these sticker versions. Bit like the early 80’s when lots of dealers and owners had multicoloured vinyl stripes and patterns added to their cars.

    Have to admit my Dad, brother and I did too! but they were subtle coachlines.

    • Those were the days – adding a subtle coachline to the side of a vehicle. A shame there are no independent motor factors left in Exeter or East Devon, where I live, where I can buy them from. Even a certain national chain of car accessories stores no longer stocks them. I need a roll of subtle thin red vinyl coachline for my MG Maestro restoration project. Any ideas where to look?

  9. @Red Merle

    Decal customisation is part of what’s known as late configuration, often of vehicles already built – makes little sense to do it in China and then wait for it to catch the next ship.

  10. Oooo stickers — that will appeal to 12 year olds everywhere.

    SWMBO has just ordered her new wheels and let us say that very simply the MG3 was not even considered as an option. One look at the brochure and a complete lack of dealers around here made it just not even viable even IF she had liked the look of it. The comment was along the lines of is it a Kis or a Hyundai…

    Examination of the MPG and performance immediately killed any chance of making the shortlist.

    The new wheels is an Audi A1 Sportback diesel. 0-60 in 10s and 74mpg plus 2 dealers within 12 miles.

    And yes, I haave seen one and yes, it could have been anything made in Korea. MG3 is not even mildly competitive in the present form. Please stop trying to big up MG.

    Chinese MG3 & 6 models have as much relationship to “real” MGs as I have to Jennifer Lopez.

  11. Lots of adverts on Channel 4 this weekend just gone. I’ve seen quite a few 3s and they don’t look that good in the flesh IMHO.

    Great Wall H6 is meant to be coming to the UK soon – I will be interested to see what sort of warranty, spec and ‘discount to market’ they offer. Candidly, I think a big part of the reason the 3 isn’t selling is because people think of it as Chinese, so how Great Wall choose to market the ‘first’ Chinese car to go on sale in the UK will be a point of comparison.

  12. Not sure on the personalisations but I just wanted to say that weve had our MG3 for around 6 months now and covered 7K miles.

    It has been brilliant. It looks good, goes well (when you rev it hard) and is every bit an ‘MG’ to drive.

    Lots of people have stopped to talk about it – some good comments and some bad.

    But aat the end of the day its great to have MG back – and making a sporty little affordable car, as they have always done.

    • Its not back though is it?
      A cheap mediocre far eastern hatchback that you would not look twice at does not suddenly have “heritage” just because its got an octagonal badge slapped on it.
      Ive seen a few yellow ones at a dealership near me, personally I think they look tragic!

  13. Having seen a few MG3s in the flesh now, (both in China and the UK)
    I feel they are slightly better looking in the flesh, but the nose
    still looks heavy/overdone for no obvious benefit or reason.

    Probably not a bad car, but then there are few new bad cars left
    these days even at this end of the market, though some are still
    rather mediocre.

    Point is I can’t see how most punters are going to think a 3 will be a
    better bet than many a typical also-ran ‘supermini’ from Korea or
    wherever with a known image, long warranty and a bigger dealer network.

  14. MGUK had a plot at the recent Duxford air show and the cars look the part, they do advertise but not on such a grand scale as say Skoda and their Fabia with oil drinking petrol engines.

  15. I remember when they applied half MG badges to the side of the MG Metro, as an outcome of hiring a young designer at the time. I liked that about as much as I like the recent MG3 concept covered in stickers… *cough*

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