MG reveals Icon concept

MG's new Chinese owners whipped the covers off a retro-styled concept at this year's Beijing motor show. And it looks rather a lot like it wants a piece of the Nissan Juke's quirky compact SUV market.

It's called the Icon, it's a compact (four-meter) SUV-cum-coupe with a suicide pillarless four-door layout like the Mazda RX-8's, and it's been designed as a homage to the manufacturer's slightly flaccid sportsters of yore.

Its rump and flanks are based on the pretty MGA, while the exposed tailgate hinges and silly grin come courtesy of the B. The front and rear lamps are also styled to look like bumper overriders - as seen on plenty of the company's offerings under British ownership - and the rims are supposed to ape wire wheels.

Luckily, it's a downright concept, which means it's not destined for roads in its current form. That said, it's underpinned by an MG3 drivetrain and floorpan...

A well executed hat-tip to MG's rich design history? Or a clumsy pillage of classic car design? Tell us in the handy box below, TopGear.commers....