Radical MG-badged compact and motorbike-like racer offer Chinese conglomerate’s vision of best small drives for the big city.

R RYZR (above) and MG Maze are urban driving concepts unveiled today.

MG parent Shanghai Automotive has unveiled a pair of two-seater future mobility concepts from its design base in the United Kingdom, both envisaged for urban use and one bearing the British-born marque’s badge.

Created to celebrate the SAIC Design operation’s third birthday, the MG Maze is a sports-themed closed-in compact built around the tagline ‘get out and play’ and weaves themes of mobility and gaming into “the fun and pioneering spirit that has always defined MG firmly into the 21st century.”

The even more radical R RYZR, meanwhile, is proposed as a fusion between a car and a motorbike.

Developed for SAIC’s electric vehicle-only ‘R’ brand, the latter presents as “the ultimate symbiosis of man and machine: a car that you actually wear” and features a jacket and a vehicle that interlock to start it, with no need for a key.

“With MAZE we wanted to consider what the future of a car community might look like, building from MG’s fan base and following.” said Carl Gotham, Advanced Design Director.

“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.

“The concept is a reaction to our lives during recent months, where we have been met with restrictions and limitations on our ability to move around and interact.

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

The gaming aspect of the car reflects a desire to discover and reach new achievements, via a points-based reward system, he says.

“Our car helps users to re-discover their city and their world by seeking exciting digital street art that is interacting with structures, buildings, and landmarks.

The exterior features a transparent shell, emulating high end gaming PC’s with exposed componentry. Its outer surface is fluid and dynamic, exposing aspects of the chassis and interior design, that are otherwise hidden from view.

Inside, floating seats and UX/UI technology have been developed, enhancing the gaming aspect by giving a fun and enjoyable driving experience, while the steering is controlled not by a steering wheel but by the driver’s smartphone.

R RYZR broadly has similar aspiration, but also adds in the additional concept of wearable technology.

Designed to recognise the shift away from crowded public transport and the need for more instinctive experiences, it offers an escape from crowded spaces by combining cutting-edge technical apparel and augmented reality, Gotham says.

“R RYZR is an exciting and visceral vision of the future of urban travel,” Gotham proposes.

“By exploring the unconventional, it unlocks new modes of transports for the future, new experiences and new emotions.”

The concept is designed to achieve the ultimate ease of use – motorcycle agility with car-like stability, while the RYZR clothing concept means no need for an app or a key – the vehicle simply recognises the owner’s jacket instead.

“R RYZR is a useful, agile, practical, and exciting form of urban transport,” says Gotham.

“It combines the aesthetic of cutting-edge technical apparel and augmented reality with futurism. It’s an exploration of unconventional mode of transports for the future - new architectures, new experiences and new emotions.”

There is no suggestion either will