MG and its Chinese parent company SAIC Motors unveiled the new Icon concept at the Beijing Auto Show. This car is MG’s first ever SUV, designed by British director Anthony Williams-Kenny. The Icon is inspired, rather heavily, by the brand’s most famous sports cars of the past including the MGA and MGB GT. It also has a profile similar to that of the Nissan Juke.

The front and rear-end design have taken cues from the MGB GT with structural tail lamps and round headlamps mounted on top of haunched wings, and MG’s signature grille. We were skeptical about this car when we first heard about it, but we have to say, the end result isn’t half bad. It actually looks pretty interesting, and much more dignified and characterful than the stupid Juke.

Inside the Icon has four ‘shell’ seats. The rear seats can fold down completely into the floor for the sake of practicality. If they ever got around making this car, it will be more tamed than what you see here.

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.