MG goes from bland to bonkers with outrageous Cyberster

12th April 2021, 3:38pm
4 min read
MG goes from bland to bonkers with outrageous Cyberster
  • Relaunched MG brand reveals futuristic Cyberster EV model
  • Predicted 500 mile range and 0-100km/h in under three seconds
  • Model to go on display at Shanghai Motor Show later this month

The MG relaunch in the UK has been a reasonable success since the brand was reintroduced to British buyers back in 2011.

The emphasis up until now has been on simple cars that were functional rather than flamboyant, and models such as the MG6 and the MG3 were perfect to get the brand back up and running. The ZS and the HS SUV models have upped the ante somewhat, and three additional models fit in the EV/hybrid range (MG5 EV, ZS EV and the HS plug-in hybrid).

So far, so good, but also a tad too bland. But there are signs of change coming from London, Longbridge and China, for the nearly 100-year-old marque has just revealed images of it’s most striking vehicle to date.

It’s called the Cyberster and it’s about as far from the standard MG image as you could imagine. The car has been developed by the team at the MG Advanced Design Centre in London, and is a two-door, two-seater sports car that harks back to MG’s true heritage as a fun and sporty brand. Only instead of a bit of tatty wood for a dashboard and some dodgy panel gaps, this has an interactive gaming cockpit and 5G connectivity!

MG says that the car takes design cues from the classic MGB Roadster, though the only thing this writer can see in common between the two is the fact both have four wheels. The most obvious talking point is the massive grille at the front, which has literally taken over the front of the car and looks like an evil comic book character’s grin.

The ‘Magic Eye’ front headlights are barely visible on the front, while the rear ones have a hint of the Union Jack. The swoops of the bodywork look like something more out of Maranello than the Midlands, while the ‘hacker blade’ wheels have something of the Fast and the Furious about them.

A ‘laser belt’ LED strip features down the side of the car and the outline of the door, and there’s more LEDs on the rear spoiler too.

The interior features separate driver and passenger compartments, and a large LED instrument cluster with a second central screen. It also has what MG describes as ‘Zero Gravity’ seats with floating head restraints. The steering wheel meanwhile looks like something lifted from an arcade.

Despite the bonkers appearance, the Cyberster is expected to deliver a range of 500 miles, a remarkable claim given most electric vehicles are still struggling to reach 250 miles on a single charge. And if that wasn’t enough, a projected 0-100km/h time of less than three seconds fits in well with the two seater sports car styling.

Carl Gotham, Director of SAIC Design Advanced London stated:

The Cyberster is a bold statement that looks strongly into MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our technology and advanced design. Cyberster is a hugely exciting concept for us.

The Cyberster is set to be displayed at the Shanghai Motor Show (21-28 April 2021), where more details will be revealed.

It’s not known whether the car is actually planned for production, but based on what we’ve seen so far, we certainly hope it will be!

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Written by Richard Randle

Richard Randle is a motorsport PR professional working with the UK’s top racing circuits and the UK’s premier single-seater category, the BRDC British F3 Championship.