The new MG Maze concept has wild styling and gamifies urban adventuring

MG has revealed a wild new concept car designed for inner-city driving for the digital-first generation.

Called MG Maze, the compact two-seater is said to ‘explore a vision of future mobility’.

It has been designed by SAIC Design Advanced London, the UK-based design studio of MG’s Chinese owners. The Maze has the tagline ‘Get Out & Play’ and brings together the concepts of real world mobility and gaming.

The idea behind the Maze is a response to the global pandemic, which has forced many of us to stay at home for prolonged periods, rarely venturing further afield than our home regions.

To encourage people back out into their environments, it essentially gamifies urban travel, by creating achievements that can be unlocked by visiting ‘digital street art’ located at landmarks such as local structures and buildings.

The Maze is a fantasy concept rather than an actual window into the future of MG’s model line-up, so details about its powertrain and mechanical make-up are thin on the ground.

However, it is said to be capable of ‘the utmost agility and functionality in busy urban environments’ while also featuring the latest technology.

The exterior body is a transparent shell, said to emulate the design of high-end gaming PCs that show off the intricate circuitry inside. In this instance, the shell exposes the cabin and mechanical aspects such as the suspension.

It’s inside where the fantastical features really take off, though, with floating seats and infotainment displays, while the car is controlled by the user’s smartphone rather than a wheel.

Carl Gotham, Advanced Design Director at SAIC London, said: “With Maze we wanted to consider what the future of a car community might look like, building from MG’s fan base and following. The move to digital is unstoppable, so we wanted to create a concept that connected this digital realm to the physical one that gives us the real joy in driving.

“Exploring the idea of ‘mobile gaming’, we used MAZE as a platform for people to get out and rediscover their environment in a new and relevant way, opening up new experiences with their city.”