SHANGHAI-BASED automotive giant SAIC Motor, which among its portfolio are the MG and LDV brands sold in Australia, has established a second British design studio in central London.

Referred to by SAIC as Advanced London, the new studio will work in tandem with the company’s existing British design facility in Birmingham, which will be renamed SAIC Design Advanced Birmingham.

Within two years, SAIC Motor expects Advanced London will house “a few dozen creative designers from all over the world”, and develop talent using the same methods as its SAIC Design China headquarters.

SAIC global design director Shao Jingfeng said Advanced London would focus on “concept studies and pre-concepts for future production projects”.

The new studio will be led by SAIC Design European advanced design director, Carl Gotham, who said the facility’s first output would be the annual SAIC Design Challenge.

Mr Gotham described this as “bringing together some of the keenest young minds in the European design sector, with concepts being put forward that can only come from people looking at the industry with a fresh perspective”.

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“We will continue to search for the best creative talent, and we hope that, through the internationalised platform built by SAIC, the designers will flourish and grow within the design industry. Creative energy, high potential, ambition and dreams will encourage them to become future design industry stars.”

Located in a freshly renovated building, Advanced London will benefit from SAIC’s investment in new design technologies including advanced virtual reality.

“This allows our designers to fully immerse themselves into the design concepts, greatly improving the level of detail at which ideas can be reviewed before they are turned into more costly physical models,” said Mr Jinfeng.

“The team is already taking advantage of the cutting-edge creative environment. Design is a huge element of the SAIC Motor vision, as we continue to explore the possibilities of the rapidly evolving automotive sector across the globe.”

By Haitham Razagui