Tuesday, May 11, 2010

MG RV8

The MG RV8 is a concept created by Ernesto Rodriguez - an Art Center College of Design graduate - as a new vehicle for the Chinese owned MG brand.

The objective of the project was to restore MG as a genuine British icon. The challenge was of course, how to accomplish that when the company is now Chinese. Rodriquez's clever solution was to split the manufacturing into two separate steps. Firstly the basic structure of the car, a "body in white" is built in China. This is then shipped over to the UK where some of the body panels and finishing elements which give the car some character are added, items like the hood, grille, headlights, rear end, roof panel, wheels and interior trim.

This final stage of the build process would be carried out at the nearest MG (Morris Garage) dealer to where the car is sold. The car would be tailored to suit the buyers tastes and style. Different color combinations would be on offer, as well as different hood designs and grille panels. The idea is that no two RV8's would be the same.

To help underscore the "Britishness" of the RV8 concept the design was partially inspired by the Spitfire fighter plane.

Ernesto Rodriguez is a recent graduate of Art Center College of Design's Transportation Design Department. He is currently working as freelance designer in many different arenas of industrial design, however he is also looking for a permanent design position.







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