- MG Cyberster concept is an electric roadster promising 500 miles of range, due to be shown at the Shanghai Auto Show this month.
- The automaker MG is currently owned by China's SAIC, and offers a number of vehicles including two EVs in China and in the U.K.
- MG currently offers electric models, including a station wagon, with plans for more driven by China's New Energy car mandate and by demand in its home market.
Some may remember MG only for the rubber-bumpered MGBs that were sold stateside until the 1980, and which stuck around for decades afterwards in the garages of beachside summer homes. But MG has been very busy since being acquired by SAIC in the mid-2000s, and now boasts a diverse-enough lineup in Europe and China. Unfortunately, a spiritual successor to the beloved MGB hasn't materialized—the priorities of the Chinese domestic market are largely unreceptive to roadsters or convertibles of any kind. This means that MG has been cranking out sedans, hatchbacks, and crossovers, which are now offered in the U.K.
Later this month, however, MG will officially debut that long-awaited successor to the MGB, in the form of the electric Cyberster concept. The first images of the concept have just been released ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show, revealing a sleek concept with some adventurous details, including taillights in the shape of the the Union Jack.
The Cyberster is said to have been developed by the automaker's Advanced Design Center in London, and features its own EV platform claimed to give the concept a range of 800 kilometers or 497 miles, in addition to 0 to 62 mph launches in under three seconds.
MG isn't sharing other technical details of the roadster, at least not until the Shanghai Auto Show gets going, so we'll have to wait a few days to find out just what could kind of battery is behind the claimed specs. For now, the exterior and interior designs are the main point of this first peek at the concept. And admittedly, there's quite a lot there to gawk at, including the "digital fiber" interior design theme, even if a visual connection to the MGB is far more difficult to see.
"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," said Carl Gotham, director of SAIC Design Advanced London.
"Cyberster is a hugely exciting concept for us."
Just how likely is the Cyberster to advance to the production stage?
Parent company SAIC isn't saying for now, but there are plenty of reasons for skepticism starting with the fact that even a convertible toned-down for production would not do well in its domestic market due to a continued aversion to convertibles in Chinese cities.
Sporty coupes are only slightly more popular, but very few automakers actually bother to field them in China, unless we're talking about models that are a worldwide brand in themselves like the Porsche 911. Now throw in the probable price tag for a sports car with a 500-mile battery, and the Cyberster concept faces a lot of headwinds.
The tech beneath the Cyberster could well be a preview of something we might see in the near future, though, even if a 500-mile range is an expensive bit of overkill. MG already offers electric models, including a station wagon, so it's a good bet that we should see some of the tech and design elements in its future vehicles. Just not on this side of the pond.
Should MG attempt a return to the States? Let us know in the comments below.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
