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MG EXE181 wins global design award
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 com
- Developed by the brand’s UK Design Centre, EXE181 merges aerodynamic design and advanced technology
- With an estimated top speed of 415 km/h, the concept is inspired by the record-breaking EX181 that was driver by Sir Stirling Moss
- Concept has won two prestigious iF Design Awards
- The MG HS delivers more car than its price tag suggests, challenging legacy brands on value and quality.
- It’s not a thrill machine, but it doesn’t pretend to be – it’s honest motoring well packaged.
- The MG HS is proof that the era of brand dazzle is over – smart buyers are choosing value over status, although MG combines a bit of both.
First unveiled at the prestigious Beijing Auto Show in 2024 before making an appearance at the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK later in the same year, the groundbreaking MG EXE181 Concept not only demonstrates MG’s continued commitment to pushing automotive boundaries but also highlights the brand’s rich motorsport heritage and relentless pursuit of cutting-edge technology.
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, the EXE181 Concept pays tribute to the original, legendary ‘roaring raindrop MG’ EX181 that set a world speed record for its category in 1957 when Sir Stirling Moss achieved a top speed of 246 miles per hour (mph) at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats. Two years later, America’s Phil Hill would improve the record by achieving 257mph – a record that still stands to this day.
The Concept takes clear inspiration from the EX181's design, featuring aerodynamic shapes to reduce drag and enhance efficiency. Its sleek and sophisticated exterior showcases MG's brand design passion for sports, innovative spirit, and the relentless pursuit of dreams.
“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.”
Unsurprisingly, the EXE181 Concept 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.
The Concept is equipped with a new high-performance three-electric system, including a centrally mounted semi-solid-state battery and high-speed electric motor. Combined with a drag coefficient of 0.181, it has a top speed of 415km/h, proving how it has been engineered to defy limits and prioritise efficiency to meet key demands of the new energy era.
The interior of the EXE181 Concept reflects its purposeful design, with a lightweight and compact structure designed for straight-line speed. The front cockpit opens entirely forward, and the seats pay homage to the original British TARTAN design, combining tradition with modernity.
Furthermore, the EXE181 features a unique UI design inspired by aircraft cockpits, known as the Rising OS Intelligent Cockpit System Design. This also earned an exclusive iF Award in the User Experience category. 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.
The EXE181 Concept embodies MG's core values of innovation and design excellence, showcasing our commitment to pushing boundaries and shaping the future of automotive technology. As a proud brand under SAIC Motor, all MG vehicles benefit from the extensive investment in research and development, future-focused innovation and technology that makes life simpler and more exciting.
