SAIC Motor’s Advanced London Design Studio at London’s Marylebone Road will specialise in world-leading automotive creativity, develop innovative vehicle concepts and serve as a hub for nurturing future design talent.
SAIC Motor, ranked 35th in the Global Fortune 500 and 7th largest automotive company, has opened its Advanced London Design Studio (Advanced London), based in a newly renovated building in the heart of London on Marylebone Road.
The groundbreaking new creative space is the first SAIC Motor studio in the world to specialise in Advanced Digital Design Technology, and will work in conjunction with the automotive manufacturer’s other studios to support future product designs for brands including MG and Roewe.
Advanced London is the second SAIC Motor design studio to be established in Europe, following Birmingham which was opened in 2011. The London Design Studio will focus more on advanced design research projects and creative exploration of conceptual ideas.
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London was chosen by SAIC Motor for the next stage in its continued expansion, due to the city’s internationally established design culture, outstanding fashion scene and a host of institutions working at the forefront of innovation. The capital also attracts many of the best creative talents from around the globe, with SAIC Motor aiming to help them develop their skills and harness new ways of thinking.
The studio’s opening event also saw the conclusion of the European region sixth annual SAIC Design Challenge, in which students studying in Europe were challenged to develop a flagship electric vehicle for the iconic MG Motor brand to meet 2025 transport requirements. The top three finalists will now progress to the next stage, with a scale model to be presented at a grand final ceremony held at SAIC Design headquarters in Shanghai this October.
Advanced London is managed by SAIC Design European Advanced Design Director, Mr Carl Gotham, who directly reports to Mr Shao Jingfeng.
Over the next two years, it is expected that the team in London will grow to a few dozen creative designers from all over the world, working on projects that will help shape the product lineups of SAIC Motor’s brands across the globe, working and operating in conjunction with SAIC Birmingham’s advanced studio. The Birmingham studio is also being rebranded to SAIC Design Advanced Birmingham, thus ensuring the two European sites work in tandem with each other and collaborate with the best designers across the region.
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